“I have Morton’s Neuroma and need advice on how I can live with it comfortably. I had a cortisone injection in November, it relieved the acute pain but I still have noticeable discomfort. Is there anything that can help minimise the pain?”
A Morton’s Neuroma is a really irritating problem that typically causes extremely severe pain in the web space between either the 2nd and 3rd or 3rd and 4th toes.
The Neuroma or enlarged nerve becomes compressed during walking giving rise to surprisingly high levels of localised pain. The Jury is still out in determining the cause of nerve inflammation, but flat-foot posture or wearing higher heeled shoes can exacerbate this problem by decreasing the space between the bones or metatarsals and squeezing on the nerve.
Resolving this issue is complex and needs to be tackled on many fronts.
- Shoes – avoid higher heeled shoes or ones with thin bendy soles that do not protect the feet.
- Insoles do help by correcting any unwanted deviations of the foot that may cause compaction of the fore-foot and by elevating the transverse arch (across your forefoot from side to side) allowing the bones of your foot to spread apart and bring a gasp of relief to the troubled nerve.
- as Expected – Rest and relief to allow the nerve inflammation to reduce.