Morton's neuroma is a pathological condition in which the development of fibrous tissues located in the area of the plantar nerves grows. The emerging neoplasm is benign in nature and is localized mainly between the heads of the metatarsal bones of the third and fourth toes.
Most often, this disease is diagnosed in women over the age of 45, but there are known clinical cases of this pathology in the male population. In the absence of specific treatment, the disease progresses over time and leads to the development of complications.
When nerve fibers are damaged, the patient periodically experiences painful “lumbago” in the area where they are located.
Clinically, when a patient is diagnosed with Morton's neuroma, give this condition another definition - metatarsalgia, that is, pain that occurs in any part of the foot (between the ankle and toes), which is a symptom of various diseases. This is due to the fact that with a true neuroma, a new growth (tumor) of the nerve is formed, and when a person develops Morton's disease, there is a local thickening of the fibrous sheaths of the nerve fibers in the intermetatarsal space as a result of their constant irritation.
As the pathological condition develops, it becomes inflammatory in nature. In most clinical cases, damage occurs to one of the nerves of the third and fourth toes. As a rule, the disease develops unilaterally, but sometimes simultaneous damage to both feet is possible in the patient.
The most common reason for the development of this pathology is the wrong choice of shoes for daily use.
Morton's neuroma is an extremely rare pathology among the population of the entire globe. Its development is based on systematic foot injury caused by significant overloads. Provoking factors that cause compression of the nerve bundles innervating the toes include:
Experts today find it difficult to name the true reasons why foot neuroma may occur. As a rule, when examining a patient with this pathology, the attending physician determines the presence of simultaneous exposure to several pathogenic factors.
There are no visual signs of the development of this pathological condition. As the fibrous sheaths of the plantar nerve thicken, patients experience the following symptoms:
Morton's neuroma is a chronic disease that is characterized in its development by alternating periods of exacerbation and quiescence. After the disappearance of pathological symptoms, it resumes after some time, and its intensity increases each time.
With a significant worsening of the disease, the pain becomes constant - after the adverse effect on the foot (after removing narrow and uncomfortable shoes) is eliminated and the patient rests, the pain does not disappear completely, but only becomes less pronounced.
To make an accurate diagnosis - Morton's syndrome - a decisive role is played by the history and external examination of the patient by a qualified specialist (neurologist, traumatologist, orthopedist or podologist). During the patient’s initial visit, the doctor carefully collects all information regarding the development of the pathological condition - when the first manifestations of the disease appeared, the nature of the discomfort and the provoking factors for their occurrence, the frequency of pain, etc.
After collecting an anamnesis, the specialist begins to conduct an external examination of the foot and palpate it. The diagnostic criterion for examining a patient is the occurrence of intense pain in the foot when it is compressed, which radiates to the toes, between which the fibrous tumor is located.
Additional methods of differential diagnosis include ultrasound examination of the pathological area. The use of radiological research methods (x-ray of the affected foot, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging) in this clinical case is of little information and is prescribed only to exclude other pathological disorders with similar symptoms.
When, during a detailed examination of the patient, Morton's neuroma is diagnosed, treatment can be carried out using both conservative and surgical methods. At the initial stages of development, this pathology is successfully stopped through the following measures:
If this pathology is detected, it is necessary to constantly wear special orthopedic insoles.
Symptoms and treatment of Morton's disease in each clinical case are individual and determined by the stage of development of the pathology and the general condition of the patient's body. The average duration of the therapeutic course is 3 months, after which the pain disappears.
If conservative methods are ineffective, the attending physician may decide on the advisability of surgical intervention:
Injections of glucocorticosteroid drugs into the area of localization of fibrosis help relieve pain.
The use of traditional medicine methods in this case only helps to reduce the intensity of pathological symptoms, but it is impossible to eliminate the root cause of the pain syndrome in this way.
To prevent damage to the peripheral nerves of the sole of the foot and the development of Morton's neuroma, it is necessary, first of all, to choose the right shoes for everyday use. You should avoid choosing models that either have too high a heel or are completely devoid of it. In this case, the shoes should not put too much pressure on the foot.
Provided timely consultation with a doctor and adequate therapeutic measures, this disease has a favorable prognosis. It is much easier to eliminate pathological disorders and relieve pain if the disease is in the early stages of development - in this case, the use of radical treatment measures can be avoided. Therefore, at the first occurrence of alarming symptoms, it is necessary to consult a doctor to conduct a detailed examination and identify their causes.
Patients who have been diagnosed with Morton's neuroma should be aware that treatment of neuroma at home can only be considered as auxiliary, and any means and methods should be used only after prior approval from the doctor. The consequences of treating the disease at home without consulting a specialist can be irreversible and will lead to the need for surgery to remove the tumor.
Used at home:
The traditional medicine used are medicinal plants and products that can be found in every kitchen. Recipes and proportions can be found here.
General rules for the use of folk remedies:
To massage the foot with Morton's neuroma, you do not need to master special skills - its essence is not to mobilize the metatarsal bones and influence soft tissues in order to relax and reduce pressure on the affected area, as with professional massage for neuroma, but to reduce pain and relieve tension and minimizing inflammatory processes.
To accomplish this task, massage is done using cold. You can use any pre-frozen product from the freezer or freeze water in a plastic glass specifically for massage. A frozen object, wrapped in a towel in one layer, should be moved over the site of inflammation for at least several minutes. You need to repeat the cold massage daily.
Exercises for Morton's neuroma at home are divided into three main groups. These are exercises for:
All of them have one goal - to reduce pressure on the damaged area, as a result of which inflammation is reduced and pain is reduced. More details on how to do exercises at home are written here.
Basic rules for performing gymnastics:
Home treatment for neuroma of the foot can alleviate the course of the disease and significantly speed up the healing process with the proper selection of methods and when combined with the use of traditional medicine.
Morton's neuroma or Morton's syndrome is a benign growth of fibrous tissue near the plantar nerve of the foot, mainly between the third and fourth toes. In most cases, a person develops a neuroma on only one leg. Most often, the disease affects women after menopause. Morton's syndrome can be treated at home. To do this, it is necessary to make individual orthopedic insoles that allow you to correctly redistribute the load on the foot and reduce pressure on the plantar nerve. To reduce pain, treatment with folk remedies for external use is used. With the right approach, home treatment can be an alternative to surgery. Such drugs, unlike pharmaceutical drugs, are affordable, have proven and safe composition, and do not cause allergic reactions or other side effects.
Morton's syndrome develops due to prolonged mechanical pressure on the plantar nerve of the metatarsal bones. The following factors can lead to this:
Symptoms of the disease are mild. At the initial stages of development, Morton's neuroma practically does not manifest itself in any way. The main symptom of the disease is the presence of pain when squeezing the foot between the toes.
In addition, patients complain of other symptoms:
Unpleasant sensations and pain bother a person only while walking. When he takes off his shoes and relaxes his foot, the symptoms go away. However, as the disease progresses, fibrous tissue continues to grow. This leads to the fact that the patient’s condition worsens, signs of the disease begin to appear all the time, and not just while walking. A person is constantly bothered by severe pain and burning in the foot. The pain increases over time.
Morton's neuroma is recurrent. Symptoms of the disease may increase and then subside and not appear for several months to several years. This makes diagnosis very difficult. Exacerbation of neuroma often occurs when wearing uncomfortable narrow shoes and high-heeled shoes.
Diagnosis of the disease begins with collecting anamnesis. Then palpate the interdigital area. For a person with a neuroma, this procedure causes pain. Also, sharp pain occurs in a person when the foot is compressed from the sides.
However, the symptoms of the disease are similar to those of some other diseases, in particular, arthritis, fracture of the metatarsal bones. For accurate diagnosis, X-ray examination and magnetic resonance imaging are performed.
Morton's neuroma can be treated at home. There are traditional medicines that reduce the symptoms of the disease and improve the patient's condition. For home treatment to be effective, lifestyle changes must also be made. Such therapy is indicated for the patient if the disease is not of an increasing nature.
First of all, it is necessary to reduce the load on the foot. To do this, you need to choose more comfortable shoes and give up heels. It is advisable to buy special orthopedic shoes.
Your best bet is to have custom orthotics made. Such insoles are designed taking into account the individual parameters of the patient’s foot. Wearing shoes with such insoles allows you to properly reduce the load on the forefoot. The transverse arch of the foot becomes less congested, the normal position of the metatarsal bones is gradually restored and the pressure of the bones on the inflamed plantar nerve is reduced. Orthopedic insoles also improve blood circulation in the foot. All this leads to the fact that inflammation decreases over time, and the neuroma does not progress, since the main cause of the disease has been eliminated.
Folk remedies are remedies that can reduce the discomfort and pain of people with neuroma. For this purpose, you can prepare drugs for external use at home.
If adequate timely treatment of the disease is not carried out, Morton's neuroma continues to develop and its symptoms increase. Over time, a person begins to experience pain and discomfort all the time. It is difficult for him to stand for long periods of time. The patient can no longer wear non-orthopedic shoes.
Morton's neuroma excludes any sports activities associated with stress on the lower extremities: running, walking, jumping, dancing, skiing, skating or roller skating.
Morton's syndrome is not life-threatening, but over time it can cause serious discomfort and impair the quality of life. Therefore, timely diagnosis and adequate treatment of pathology are very important.
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Morton's neuroma is a pathological thickening of the plantar nerve of the foot, causing pain between the third and fourth toes (in rare cases, between the second and third).
The disease "Morton's neuroma" can be found in the literature under other names: focal traumatic neuritis of the plantar nerve of the third and fourth fingers, perineural fibrosis, Morton's disease, Morton's finger syndrome.
More often women suffer from this disease. This is due to wearing tight high-heeled shoes, which puts a lot of stress on the forefoot. The disease rarely affects both legs at once.
As for the cause of the development of Morton's neuroma, the most popular point of view is that the neuroma is formed due to strong pressure of the metatarsal bones on the nerve. This abnormal functioning of the foot can be caused by wearing tight shoes (especially in combination with wearing high heels or being overweight) or transverse flat feet.
At the onset of the disease, patients begin to notice numbness, aching pain, tingling or burning between the third and fourth toes. When wearing tight shoes, the pain may increase. In some cases, the patient may feel a foreign body between the third and fourth fingers.
Over time, the symptoms may either intensify or weaken. Acute pain can occur while walking in tight shoes and disappear after removing them.
If the disease is not treated, the pain becomes constant over time. The localization of pain may shift to the fingertips. In this case, the type of shoe no longer plays a big role.
The longer a person is sick, the more pronounced the pain effect is in the area of the base of the third and fourth fingers.
The main diagnostic factor for Morton's neuroma is the narrow localization of pain between the third and fourth fingers. The next important diagnostic factor is that when the forefoot is compressed in the transverse direction, the pain increases sharply.
To clarify the diagnosis, the doctor examines the foot. In some cases, the doctor can manually identify areas of numbness between the fingers. When clarifying the diagnosis, it is important to exclude diseases with similar symptoms: arthritis and fractures. An x-ray may be used for this. In difficult cases, MRI is used.
Preventive measures are aimed at reducing the load on the forefoot. First of all, this is the selection of rational shoes and, of course, the prevention of transverse flat feet.
Conservative treatment of Morton's neuroma is highly effective in the initial stages of the disease, when the pain is periodic. As a rule, during this period there are no irreversible changes in the nerves of the sole. Patients are prescribed corticosteroid injections, analgesics and physiotherapy. It is recommended to choose more comfortable shoes. Women should avoid wearing high heels. These measures are aimed at unloading the forefoot. If the patient is found to have transverse flatfoot, then the treatment regimen for Morton's neuroma will also include treatment of flatfoot.
If conservative therapy is ineffective, surgical intervention is indicated. Under local anesthesia, the metatarsal canal is opened, and then the neuroma of the nerve of the foot is dissected. After surgery, there may be a small area of numbness between your fingers. The recovery period is usually several months. At this time, it is recommended to wear rational shoes that do not load the forefoot.
Morton's neuroma, or Morton's disease, is a thickening of the foot (plantar) nerve sheath that occurs locally as it passes between the metatarsals. The disorder causes pain in the foot. They can be so intense that they impair the ability to move normally.
The pathology is caused by damage to the plantar digital nerve, which causes it to become pinched by the bones of the metatarsus. The pathology in most cases is one-sided and affects the nerve in the 3rd interdigital area. In the second area, Morton's neuroma appears much less frequently, and in the first in exceptional cases. The vast majority of patients with this diagnosis are women who actively wear narrow high-heeled shoes, which causes pressure on the foot. Morton's disease is common in medical practice.
Despite the fact that in clinical terminology, a neuroma is a tumor on a nerve, and the disease is just a thickening of its membrane, the name of the pathology has become firmly established in medical practice. This disorder is most accurately characterized by the term metatarsalgia (pain syndrome localized in the area of the metatarsal bones). The disease is also called intermetatarsal neuroma, perineural fibrosis and plantar neuroma.
Morton's neuroma most often affects women, and therefore, as its main cause, doctors always identify wearing anatomically unsuitable shoes, which disrupt the distribution of pressure on the foot and compress the legs, causing improper blood supply and constant microtrauma to the tissue. The following also significantly increases the risk of plantar nerve thickening:
If there are factors predisposing to the appearance of the disorder, you should choose shoes only with an anatomically correct last, which will not cause overload to the nerve area. For flat feet, it is necessary to additionally use orthopedic insoles, which, in turn, will qualitatively distribute pressure on the metatarsal region, reducing the risk of compression of the nerves.
At the beginning of the development of the pathological process, most patients have no symptoms, and therefore timely seeking medical help does not occur. In some cases, slight metatarsalgia is observed when the foot is compressed, which is not taken as a symptom of the disease. There are no visible changes or symptoms in the condition of the feet, since Morton's neuroma is not a tumor, like schwannoma of the leg, which deforms the tissue.
With Morton's neuroma, pain and a number of unpleasant sensations appear.
Symptoms increase gradually. It doesn't appear suddenly. Before the pain becomes severe and begins to interfere with normal movement, there will certainly be muted symptoms. The patient often simply ignores them, attributing them to simple leg fatigue.
You should seek medical help when the first symptoms of pathology develop. Your legs will not hurt regularly due to simple fatigue.
Morton's syndrome is a widespread pathology, the diagnosis of which does not present serious difficulties. After collecting a history of the disease, which is of great importance for diagnosis, palpation of the sore foot is performed.
If this is not enough, then an X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging is performed. Ultrasound using modern equipment allows you to accurately determine the location of the nerve thickening. This procedure reveals the thickening disorder by 100%.
If the patient does not know which doctor to contact, then he first needs to visit a therapist. Among the specialized specialists who treat the disease are an orthopedist, a neurologist, a podologist and a traumatologist. Depending on the extent of the damage, Morton's neuroma can be treated with conservative or surgical methods.
Conservative therapy begins first of all with choosing the right shoes for the patient. If you continue to wear tight shoes, you will not be able to improve the condition of your feet. It is also necessary to use orthopedic insoles to help distribute the load correctly.
Long walking and standing are contraindicated for patients. If possible, the legs should be constantly unloaded. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used to relieve pain. The main ones are Ibuprofen and Diclofenac. Blockades and ointments with an anesthetic effect can also be used.
Conservative treatment includes a number of physiotherapy methods. Acupuncture is also performed.
If conservative treatment does not bring the desired result, or the patient has an advanced form of the disease, then a surgical method is used to correct the condition.
Removal of manifestations of Morton's neuroma is carried out in several ways. Now the most popular method is the most gentle. It involves dividing the intermetatarsal ligament (transverse). This surgical intervention lasts 10 minutes and does not require hospitalization. Within 2 hours after the procedure, the patient can step on his foot. The discomfort will be minimal.
This operation does not exclude recurrence of the disease, and then complete excision of the thickened part of the nerve is performed. This manipulation takes a little longer, but it is also possible to do without hospitalization. The recovery process takes longer. Numbness in the area of the excised neuroma persists for some time.
Morton's neuroma can be treated with home remedies.
Treatment at home for Morton's disease is possible only at its first symptoms. It is better to use traditional methods only to prevent the problem.
If left untreated, Morton's neuralgia can lead to unpleasant consequences. The main complications of the pathology are as follows:
Timely therapy can prevent the occurrence of negative consequences.
There are ways to prevent Morton's neuroma. The main ones are the following:
Complete prevention allows you to maintain healthy feet. Morton's neuroma is a serious problem that is much easier to prevent than to treat.
Morton's neuroma is a thickening of the plantar digital nerve that causes severe pain and limited walking. In oncology, a neuroma is a tumor of a nerve that develops from its elements, but in this case a tumor does not form, and the name of the pathology was formed historically due to the characteristic symptoms and the presence of a palpable formation on the nerve trunk in the patient. From this point of view, it is more appropriate to call the neuroma metatarsalgia, thereby indicating the presence of pain in the metatarsus.
Morton's neuroma affects one of the plantar nerves that supplies the fingers. The formation is located before the place of their division into branches going to the toes, next to the heads of the metatarsal bones, passing by which the nerve is compressed by the transverse ligament of the foot.
Among patients with metatarsalgia, young women predominate; as a rule, a unilateral lesion is found in the third space between the fingers, less often in others. Pain occurs in this place and a lump is felt. Here the nerve divides into branches going to the lateral surfaces of the fingers, so the pain spreads there as well.
Without threatening the patient's life, Morton's neuroma can nevertheless cause serious discomfort, limiting active lifestyle and movement, and in some cases the disease brings the patient to the surgeon's table, so timely diagnosis and treatment are of paramount importance.
The metatarsal joints are connected to each other by a transverse ligament, under which common interdigital nerves pass, dividing into digital ones, going to the lateral sides of adjacent toes in such a way that each such nerve participates in the innervation of the surfaces of the fingers facing each other. The heads of the metatarsal bones are close to each other, and the nerve passes through a narrow space limited by the bones and ligament.
The feet experience enormous stress when walking or standing, so they are very susceptible to various types of disorders not only from the joint-ligamentous apparatus, but also from nerves and blood vessels. Passing in ligaments, between tightly packed bones and joints, the nerves of the feet are often compressed and pinched, causing damage and pain. This is especially evident in cases of existing foot pathology - deformation, fracture, age-related changes.
The main cause of neuroma is considered to be excessive stress on the foot, which occurs when:
The risk group includes people with flat feet and deformities of the feet or fingers, arthrosis, and people who have suffered injuries with damage to the nerve trunk or compression by a hematoma. Inflammatory processes of articular elements (bursitis, tendonitis), as well as other tumors that compress the nerve from outside, are considered an unfavorable factor.
In the presence of the above conditions, the nerve is pinched, and in response to this, swelling occurs, the growth of its shell, connective tissue structures with the formation of a compaction area, which is even more difficult to fit in the limited space between the ligaments of the foot, and then pain appears. Morton's neuroma looks like a spindle-shaped tumor, the basis of which is connective tissue. Since the elements of formation do not show signs of autonomy or atypia, but represent a reactive process, such a neuroma is not classified as a neoplasia.
Symptoms of the disease boil down to:
At the beginning of its formation, a neuroma of the foot may not be palpable, but the pain is already bothering the patient. There is a clear connection with wearing tight shoes, after removing which the patient notes significant relief. The pain may go away completely, but after a while it will return again.
The course of the disease is initially recurrent , and at this stage not everyone will go to the doctor, because the symptoms decrease or disappear on their own. In advanced cases, the pain becomes constant and quite intense, similar to the sensations that arise when walking on sharp stones, and bothers you even when your feet are wearing slippers and the patient is sitting or lying down. The more time has passed since the onset of the disease, the more intense the pain. The inability to stop it with available means at this stage leads to an appointment with a specialist.
Painful sensations are usually concentrated in the third interdigital space, along the second and third fingers - this is where the neuroma most often forms. Due to compression of the nerve fibers, numbness and tingling appear. Patients often complain of a feeling of the presence of a foreign body in their shoes.
A small neuroma of the foot cannot be felt, but deep palpation gives a strong attack of pain. If the tumor-like formation on the nerve increases, it can be palpated as a dense, limited area in the projection of the plantar nerve branch. A characteristic feature is the localization of pain between the metatarsal bones, while in other diseases it occurs in their heads. This sign is important for the differential diagnosis of metatarsalgia.
Detection of Morton's neuroma is possible even at the initial stage based on characteristic clinical manifestations, but at this point patients prefer to be treated at home themselves. When the pain becomes unbearable, the patient comes to the doctor - podologist, neurologist, surgeon, orthopedist. A podiatrist is a specialist who deals exclusively with foot problems.
After listening to the complaints, you can already make the correct diagnosis, and to confirm the neuroma, the doctor offers additional tests and examinations:
Treatment of Morton's neuroma involves conservative measures and surgery. First of all, you should change your shoes to more comfortable ones that prevent incorrect position of your feet.
Orthopedic insoles or inlays are helpful. Since everyone’s foot is different, to achieve the best effect it is advisable to make such insoles individually, taking into account the configuration of the foot of a particular patient.
Lovers of high heels or, conversely, flat ballet shoes that are now so fashionable, should think, if not about changing shoes, then at least about limiting the time they spend in them. A heel of about one and a half to two centimeters is considered optimal. At this height, the foot is in a physiological state and is able to bear a large load with body weight. Prolonged standing or walking, which aggravate the pain syndrome, should be avoided.
Home treatment is usually the first thing people with foot pain do. Warm foot baths and massages are available and useful to relieve muscle tension. Traditional medicine advises using warm compresses with pork fat and wormwood. These methods help to somewhat reduce pain and make walking easier, but they do not get rid of the disease, so sooner or later the patient will still have to go to the doctor.
If you are interested in folk remedies, you need to remember that any compresses and ointments are contraindicated for skin diseases, inflammatory or pustular lesions of the skin of the feet, so even adherents of alternative medicine should first consult with clinic specialists.
A neuroma is treated by a neurologist, orthopedist, traumatologist or surgeon. As a rule, patients with symptoms of this formation turn to a surgeon in their clinic, who advises conservative treatment and observation or chooses active surgical tactics.
To relieve attacks of pain, a wide range of anti-inflammatory and analgesic agents are available, which can be used either orally in the form of tablets or powders, or topically in the form of ointments, gels or creams. Diclofenac, nimesulide, ibuprofen, ketoprofen will help, but before using them orally, you need to read the instructions, because many non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are contraindicated in pathologies of the stomach and intestines (ulcers, gastritis).
In cases of severe pain that cannot be relieved by conservative methods, the doctor may prescribe a blockade with an anesthetic (lidocaine) in the area of the affected nerve.
physiotherapeutic techniques are actively used - magnetic therapy, electrophoresis of drugs, acupuncture.
If the described methods of combating neuroma do not bring results, then the question of the need for surgical intervention is raised. It is low-traumatic, performed on an outpatient basis and does not require general anesthesia. After a short procedure, the patient can go home immediately. Surgical treatment is considered the main one, since conservative methods do not give a lasting effect and their effect is short-lived.
Surgery for Morton's neuroma consists of cutting the transverse intermetatarsal connection (release) - this is a more gentle method of treatment, or removing the neuroma. Dissection of the ligament takes about ten minutes, and after 1-2 hours the patient leaves the surgeon’s office. You may need additional support to walk home, but in most cases walking after surgery does not cause discomfort or pain. Dissection of the ligament is the first stage of treatment, which is not accompanied by removal of a portion of the nerve and numbness, so it is preferable.
Ligament dissection is not a radical operation, so it is impossible to exclude the possibility of relapse. If pain returns and the disease progresses, another treatment is indicated - complete removal of the neuroma . The operation is performed in a clinic, under local anesthesia, but requires more time than dissection of the transverse metatarsal ligament.
During the intervention, the surgeon makes a skin incision about two centimeters long in the projection of the heads of the metatarsal bones, excises the thickening of the nerve and sutures the soft tissue, eliminating the pathological process completely. Immobilization of the foot is not required, and the patient goes home independently after treatment. There may be a feeling of numbness in the space between the toes for some time, but this does not affect walking in any way and goes away quickly.
The patient stays at home for the 10-12 days following the operation, he is provided with a certificate of incapacity for work, and the sutures are removed on days 12-14. During this period, it is necessary to limit the load on the foot as much as possible, and if walking is necessary, wear comfortable and loose shoes. When you touch your fingertips in the postoperative period, you may find that they are numb. This is a consequence of removing a section of the nerve. When walking and without touching the skin, numbness is not felt in any way and does not interfere with normal life, so it should not worry the patient. The recovery period takes about a month, but after 2 weeks you can return to your usual activities.
If work activity involves prolonged standing, walking, or physical activity, then the issue of temporarily limiting these until the end of the rehabilitation period is resolved.
There is another type of operation, which, however, is used very rarely due to the long rehabilitation period. This method involves a fracture of the fourth metatarsal bone (osteotomy) and subsequent displacement of its head, releasing the nerve from compression. The operation does not require incisions; it is performed through a puncture under the control of an X-ray machine. The advantages of the technique are considered to be the absence of scars, but the need for long-term recovery does not allow the procedure to be performed for many patients. Rehabilitation requires an additional month for the metatarsal bone to heal.
Morton's neuroma can be prevented, and for this it is worth following some preventive recommendations. So, first of all, you need to pay attention to the choice of shoes, their comfort and fit. If a woman cannot refuse heels, then you can try to limit the time you spend in such shoes, and in the evening relaxing baths and foot massage are recommended.
With flat feet, the risk of neuroma increases, so children with disorders of the formation of the arch of the foot need to wear special insoles. Adults with deformities of the toes or joints of the feet also need insoles, inserts, toe separators, and orthopedic shoes are useful.
Everyone, without exception, regardless of whether they have healthy feet or not, needs to follow the correct motor mode, which does not involve prolonged standing or too long walking, when the load on the foot is maximum. If, however, signs of a neuroma appear, then a timely visit to a doctor will help treat it conservatively. Sometimes only insoles or changing shoes eliminate the symptoms of the disease, and self-medication only aggravates the pathology and inevitably leads to the need for surgery.
Morton's neuroma is characterized by foot pain that causes the nerve in the foot to thicken. The tumor is benign, the cause of its occurrence is still unclear. When a nerve thickens the tissue that surrounds it, the bones, ligaments and muscles put a lot of pressure on it, causing severe pain. People who are overweight and wear narrow, high-heeled shoes are at risk of developing Morton's neuroma. It is very important to diagnose the disease in time, because in the future it leads to serious consequences.
At an early stage, neuroma is characterized by mild pain in the area of the toes, and may tingle and burn a little; such symptoms appear when a person wears certain shoes. When the tumor begins to grow, the little toes begin to burn, and the person may be without shoes. Often there is a disturbing sensation inside the heel, as if there were stones or sand there.
The pain with Morton's neuroma is shooting, burning, intensifies when walking in shoes, after the person takes them off and stretches his fingers, the pain subsides and completely disappears. Most often, severe foot pain occurs at night. At the same time, the foot becomes numb, sensitivity decreases, and it seems to the person that there is a foreign body there. The pain may increase after pressure is applied to the damaged nerve.
The nerves that affect the bottom of the foot and toes are located between the bones of the toes. Pain in the foot occurs due to the growth of a neuroma, a benign tumor of the nerve, most often located between the third and fourth toes. A neuroma develops in the foot, most often in females.
Morton's neuroma most often occurs due to mechanical impact on the nerve of the foot:
1. When a woman wears high-heeled shoes, that is, she transfers her body weight to the pads that are located near the toes, especially between the second and third or third and fourth.
2. If a person wears shoes with narrow toes, the bones begin to move closer to each other, tissues and nerve fibers begin to be compressed.
3. Due to transverse flatfoot, after a fracture of the metatarsal bone.
4. If a person is used to walking and turning his foot inward, this causes tension and damage to the nerve.
5. In case of acute injury, hematoma in the area where the nerve passes.
6. Due to diseases in the lower extremities.
7. With significant loads that fall on the front of the feet, this happens during intense sports activities - jumping, running.
8. Due to lipoma - a benign tumor of the foot.
9. Morton's neuroma is caused by autoimmune and infectious diseases, because of this inflammation begins to develop in the joints, connective tissues, tendons, ligaments, and phalangeal joints.
The disease is determined by external examination of the foot and interviewing the patient. You will also need to additionally conduct x-rays, magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasound to clarify the diagnosis.
The diagnosis of this disease is made based on a survey of the patient and examination of the foot. X-ray examination, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound examination (US) do not allow an accurate diagnosis.
Corticosteroids are injected into the foot, local anesthesia is used for this, a special lining is placed in the shoes, this helps relieve symptoms.
You may need injections - up to two or three per week. In cases of ineffective treatment, surgical intervention is necessary; for this, the neuroma is removed, thus the person gets rid of discomfort, but in some cases the affected area becomes numb.
Even if an accurate diagnosis of Morton's neuroma is established, how to treat the disease, what medications and orthopedic devices to use, all this will depend on the cause that caused the nerve pressure.
If Morton's neuroma arose due to the fact that a person wore uncomfortable shoes, flat feet, after physical activity on the front of the foot, a person can recover if he chooses high-quality shoes, with low heels and wide in the toe area. They may also prescribe special orthopedic insoles that will help relieve the load on the forefoot.
Special finger separators also help a lot; with their help you can keep your fingers at the required distance. It is best to order special orthopedic shoes; they will help alleviate the symptoms of the disease.
If a person is an athlete, it is necessary to avoid increased loads - running, jumping, which lead to foot injury. It is best to pay attention to swimming. It is very important to watch your gait; you need to roll smoothly from heel to toe.
The pain does not go away immediately, sometimes it takes a whole year. A special massage of the foot area and taking anti-inflammatory drugs will help alleviate the condition. If the pain is very severe, a special anesthetic may be injected between the fingers.
Remember that if the disease is caused by compression of a nerve, it is imperative to cure it and create all the conditions to prevent pressure on the nerve.
So, Morton's Neuroma is a benign thickening of the nerve of the foot, due to the fact that fibrous tissue grows after mechanical impact on the nerve or transverse ligament of the foot. Most often the disease occurs in women. Morton's neuroma occurs when the nerve becomes irritated by the tissues that surround it. At first, numbness, pain and severe discomfort may occur after wearing high-heeled shoes, tight shoes, or long periods of running and walking. The pain in the foot can be sharp and intensifies after squeezing with your hands. It is very important to choose special shoes with low heels, wide toes and a loose last. If necessary, select special orthopedic insoles or shoes. For severe inflammation, you can use the following drugs: Ketorolac, Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Nimesulide. If these drugs do not help, you can use hormonal drugs - Dexamethasone, Hydrocortisone, Kenalog and Diprospan.