Where is a mortons neuroma located

Morton's neuroma. Check if you have Morton's neuroma Morton's neuroma usually affects your foot between your 3rd and 4th toes. Do rest and raise your foot when you can hold an ice pack or bag of frozen peas in a towel on the painful area for up to 20 minutes every few hours take ibuprofen or paracetamol wear wide, comfortable shoes with a low heel and soft sole use soft insoles or pads you put in your shoes try to lose weight if you're overweight.

Find a pharmacy. Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:. One of the most common offenders is wearing shoes that have a tapered toe box or high-heeled shoes that cause the toes to be forced into the toe box.

People with certain foot deformities—bunions, hammertoes, flatfeet or more flexible feet—are at higher risk for developing a neuroma. Other potential causes are activities that involve repetitive irritation to the ball of the foot, such as running or court sports. An injury or other type of trauma to the area may also lead to a neuroma. To arrive at a diagnosis, the foot and ankle surgeon will obtain a thorough history of your symptoms and examine your foot.

During the physical examination, the doctor attempts to reproduce your symptoms by manipulating your foot. Other tests or imaging studies may be performed. The best time to see your foot and ankle surgeon is early in the development of symptoms. In developing a treatment plan, your foot and ankle surgeon will first determine how long you have had the neuroma and will evaluate its stage of development. Treatment approaches vary according to the severity of the problem.

Surgery may be considered in patients who have not responded adequately to nonsurgical treatments. Your foot and ankle surgeon will determine the approach that is best for your condition.

The length of the recovery period will vary depending on the procedure performed. Regardless of whether you have undergone surgical or nonsurgical treatment, your surgeon will recommend long-term measures to help keep your symptoms from returning. These include appropriate footwear and modification of activities to reduce the repetitive pressure on the foot. Morton's neuroma may feel as if you are standing on a pebble in your shoe or on a fold in your sock.

High-heeled or tight shoes have been linked to the development of Morton's neuroma. Many people experience relief by switching to lower heeled shoes with wider toe boxes. Sometimes corticosteroid injections or surgery may be necessary. Typically, there's no outward sign of this condition, such as a lump. Instead, you may experience the following symptoms:.

In addition to these symptoms, you may find that removing your shoe and rubbing your foot often helps to relieve the pain. It's best not to ignore any foot pain that lasts longer than a few days. See your doctor if you experience a burning pain in the ball of your foot that's not improving, despite changing your footwear and modifying activities that may cause stress to your foot.

Morton's neuroma seems to occur in response to irritation, pressure or injury to one of the nerves that lead to your toes. Morton's neuroma care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version.

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