Neuroma

Do your toes feel like they have gone to sleep or tingle when you are in a particular pair of shoes?

Do you feel like there is a pea sized lump deep in the front of your foot that you need to massage out when you take your shoes off? You could have what we call a neuroma.

Simply speaking, a neuroma is like a pinched nerve in your foot. Just as you can have a pinched nerve in your back from a bulging disc, you can have a small fluid filled sack which lies between the long metatarsal bones in your foot that can become irritated and inflamed. When this occurs, the fluid filled sack or bursa expands and compresses the nerve which lies below it, causing the nerve to become pinched and irritated. Often this process occurs because of excessive motion or instability of the metatarsal bones causing a mechanical rubbing or friction which causes irritation of the bursa.

Treatment for a neuroma can include specialized shoe orthotics to reduce the mechanical irritation of the bursa, footwear advice or the use of anti-inflammatory agents. Surgical excision of the neuroma is another treatment option available to the patient.

For more detailed information, see our Acrobat pdf Information sheets on Morton’s Neuroma.

Please remember that the information in these documents should not be used as a substitute for podiatric or medical attention.

---

More helpful advice | Disclaimer | Contact | Home