Metatarsalgia & Morton’s neuroma

Metatarsalgia & Morton’s neuroma

Metatarsalgia & Morton’s neuroma

Definition:

Metatarsals are the long bones located in the front part of your feet just below your toes. And Metatarsalgia — is a condition that causes burning pain and inflammation at this part of your foot.  Morton’s neuroma is a thickening of the tissue that surrounds the digital nerve leading to the toes. Morton’s neuroma occurs mostly between the third and fourth toes, because of irritation, trauma or excessive pressure in the metatarsals in the forefoot. Both these are often seen in runners and other athletes who are into high impact sports. The incidence of Morton’s neuroma is found more commonly in women than in men (ratio being 8:10).

Signs & Symptoms:

When there is an excessive amount of running and jumping and extra stress is put on the metatarsals the person suffers a sharp pain and a aching or burning sensation at the bottom of his/her foot, and this is the main symptom of metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma. Other symptoms of metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma may include pain when you stand, walk or run, numbness and unpleasantness in your toes.

Regarding Morton’s neuroma there are no outward signs, such as a lump, because this is not a tumor. In both the cases the person suffers a burning pain, which further aggravates with high intensity exercise or wearing of shoes. The pain occurs mostly in the daytime.

Diagnosis & Treatment:

The risk factor of metatarsals is higher when you are involved in high impact sports, wear ill-fitting footwear, are overweight or have other foot problems.

In such circumstances consult a doctor who would examine your foot and you may need an X-ray to identify or rule out a stress fracture or other foot problems.

During the examination for Morton’s neuroma, your doctor will feel for a palpable mass or a “click” between the bones. He or she will put pressure on the spaces between the toe bones to try to replicate the pain and look for evidence of stress fractures in the bones that might be the cause of the pain. Range of motion tests & X-rays may be required to rule out arthritis or joint inflammations.
For the treatment of Morton’s neuroma and metatarsalgia measures to be taken are to rest your foot and avoid excessive sports, apply ice packs to the affected area, take painkillers, wear proper comfortable shoes or place metatarsals pads in your footwear.

You can even get your shoes customized to help you relieve the pain and thereby reducing the pressure on the nerve. Injections would also reduce the swelling and inflammation of the nerve, bringing some relief.

Prevention is always better than cure hence avoiding wearing inappropriate shoes and maintaining a healthy weight to take the load off your feet.

TOP Morton neuroma treatment

TOP Morton neuroma treatment

The treatment of Morton neuroma depends upon the severity of the symptoms. Considering the basic symptoms to even the signs that usually occur after excessive pain. Right from choosing suitable foot wears to wearing the stilettos. The footwear one uses should be comfortable and bigger in size, which has a flat and soft sole. A change is necessary if the footwear is tight or has a high heel. This would reduce the pressure on the affected area and give relief. One can get customized shoes with pads to suit his or her comfort levels in regards to reducing the pressure on the nerve. Cortisone Injections are another way of reducing the swelling and burning sensation of the nerve.  Though too much usage of injections may lead to side effects like high blood pressure or an increase in weight hence recommended only a limited number of injections.

The Morton:

Another method of treatment can be through Physical Therapy. This process would involve a physical therapist that would help in the change of your footwear, advise soft- soles with wider and flat-soled shoes. A conservative method of reducing the pain would be to change the place of the metatarsal heads. Another recommended action is to lift the metatarsal head medial and next to the neuroma, hence preventing the chronic pain of the nerve.  The patient can also insert a felt or gel pad into the shoe to get the satisfactory lift of the metatarsal head. Thinking about the therapies that can prove to be helpful is a wise idea. 

Other possible physical therapy treatment processes for patients with Morton neuroma include cryotherapy, ultrasound, Phonophoresis, deep tissue massage, and foot stretching exercises. Even Ice can be used is beneficial to reduce the swelling and inflammation. Three may be acute symptoms that require surgery; an orthopedic surgeon should be consulted for the same. Surgical removal of the growth may be required if other fail to provide pain relief. In most cases surgery is a success but the doctor would always advice it in the end when all the other procedures would fail.