20 Nov All About Morton’s Neuroma
If you have foot pain that makes you feel like you have a marble in your shoe, you could have Morton’s Neuroma. This condition affects the bottom of the foot, especially the ball of your foot and your toes. The nerves in your feet help you stay balanced and help you to avoid falls. When one of your nerves that runs through the ball of the foot becomes damaged or irritated, serious foot pain will set in. Morton’s Neuroma develops over time and can cause intense pain and many symptoms in your feet. Even though this condition can cause damage over time, there are treatments to help remedy your pain. In many cases, the cause is behavioral and involves changing your daily habits and taking better care of your feet in specific ways. With treatment, you can get back on your feet again without pain. Learn how rehabilitative treatments can help you today!
Common Foot Problems
You need every part of your body to help you get through the day. Some of the most important parts of your body are your legs and feet, as problems with these can stop you from being able to go anywhere. For many working Americans, they are on their feet all day long. Therefore, aches and pains are not unusual when you’re spending hours at a time on your feet, walking around, or even just chasing children around the house. However, certain problems with the feet are not common, such as pain, swelling, inflammation and more.
There are many common foot problems that cause these symptoms. The human foot has 42 muscles, 33 joints, 26 bones, and more than 50 ligaments and tendons. All of those parts are in just your feet! That leaves many areas where you could develop an injury or ailment. Some of the most common foot problems include plantar fasciitis, blisters, bunions, corns, calluses, heel spurs, ingrown toenails, athlete’s foot, and problems such as Morton’s Neuroma. We will focus just on Morton’s Neuroma, even though we can treat a variety of foot problems at our pain center.
What Is Morton’s Neuroma?
A neuroma is a term used to describe the thickening of nerve tissue somewhere in the body. Morton’s Neuroma is a type of thickening that happens in the feet. This condition affects the bottom of the foot, especially the ball of your foot and your toes. The nerves in your feet help you stay balanced and help you to avoid falls. When one of your nerves that runs through the ball of the foot becomes damaged or irritated, serious foot pain will set in.
Morton’s Neuroma can be a temporary problem that is linked to a specific activity. However, the type of shoes you are wearing can also cause this problem, which is why it’s so important to have proper footwear, especially when you are on your feet a lot. Morton’s Neuroma develops over time and can cause intense pain and many symptoms in your feet. The only way to know for sure that you have Morton’s Neuroma is to be seen by a professional, as there are many common foot problems out there.
Causes and Symptoms
Those with Morton’s Neuroma will generally feel that they have a lump in their foot. This will feel like there is a marble or stone in your shoe or that there is a lump stuck below the skin. In many cases, there is actually swelling or a palpable lump in the foot between the third and fourth toes. Many patients experience sharp or burning pains in their foot and some also have numbness that reaches various parts of the toes. Your toes may even cramp, curl, or twitch involuntarily. You will definitely know there is a problem because your pain will increase when you stand, walk or wear shoes.
So what causes Morton’s Neuroma? This is not a condition that happens suddenly. It gradually happens over time, so sudden injuries are unlikely to cause your problem. Problems that affect the alignment of your feet and toes can cause the problem as well as improper foot support. High arches, shoes that compress the toes, hobbies or careers are also factors.
Treatment Options for You
In most cases, you can avoid Morton’s Neuroma by taking care of your feet and avoiding certain types of shoes. If you know certain shoes (like high heels or a really old pair of sneakers) hurt your feet, then don’t continue to wear them! You never want to experience pain with a shoe. If you do, it’s a sign that you need to get a new pair of shoes or avoid that type of shoe altogether. Lifestyle changes like changing shoes or staying off your foot for a time can significantly help your pain.
Many patients love to receive anti-inflammatory steroid injections to numb the nerves without making permanent changes to the foot structure. In some cases, surgery can fix the problem, but surgery comes with its own risks and may not stop nerve damage from happening. We help many patients through massage therapy to help relieve pressure on the nerves from tight tendons and muscles. If needed, orthopedic shoe inserts can make a major difference in the support your foot has.
Get On Your Feet Again
You need your feet every single day to get around as you please and accomplish all the tasks and obligations you need to. You never want to just live with foot pain, as foot pain over time can lead to nerve damage, scarring, and increased pain. Come see us as soon as possible to help reverse nerve damage that Morton’s Neuroma can cause. If this is not the cause of your pain, we can work to help you find what is. To schedule your free consultation or to learn more, call Mile High Spine & Pain Center today at (720) 507-0080!