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Foot Notes

Posts for tag: Neuroma

By Clark Podiatry Center
August 22, 2018
Category: Foot Pain
Tags: Bunions   Flat Feet   Hammertoes   Neuroma   Shoes   injury   orthotic   dancing  

A neuroma is a condition in which the tissue around a nerve becomes thickened.

You might have a neuroma in your foot if you:

  • feel like you want to remove a small stone that you keep stepping on, but when you take your shoes off, it’s never there.
  • feel like you have a pinched nerve in the ball of your foot.
  • have burning pain, numbness, or tingling between the third and fourth toes.

A neuroma in your foot is called Morton’s Neuroma and it’s usually caused by inflammation, irritation or injury. Repetitive motions with high pressure on the balls of the feet can cause chronic inflammation on the soft tissues near the nerve. This can include wearing shoes with high heels and/or narrow toe boxes for long periods of time. Participating in activities like dancing or sports that involve running, sprinting, or jumping are also likely culprits. Additionally, if you injure the foot by dropping something on it or stepping hard on a pointed object, it can cause a prolonged inflammation in that nerve.

Some foot deformities can also put you at higher risk of developing symptoms of Morton’s Neuroma. Hammertoes, bunions, flat feet, or very high arches can all shift your body weight so that the ball of the foot has to unevenly bear more weight. 

Once symptoms set in, it’s important to rest the foot and reduce inflammation and pain to prevent worsening and ongoing symptoms. Using orthotic inserts, applying ice, massaging the foot, and/or anti-inflammatory drugs may help you feel better. You may also consider how your shoes might be affecting the way your feet feel on a day-to-day basis. If they are too tight, your toes might need more room to relax throughout the day. If you don’t have enough arch support or cushioning, the balls of your feet might have to strain more.

If conservative at-home treatments and adjusting your shoes do not help, our podiatrist might use cortisone injections or sclerosing alcohol injections to relieve pain. At worst case scenario, the nerve may need to be surgically removed.

Don’t suffer from Morton’s Neuroma! We can help you feel better! Make an appointment today at Clark Podiatry Center. Our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy will assess your feet to find the best treatments or solutions for your feet. We are located in Clark, NJ and serve patients in all the surrounding Union County towns!

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By Clark Podiatry Center
August 01, 2018
Tags: Hammertoes   Neuroma   stretching   injury  

Looking for another way to spend family time together? It might sound strange, but how about a night of foot fitness? Yep, you read that right. Specifically, we want to focus on exercising the toes. It’s not a body part you usually think about when working out, such as the biceps or abs, but strengthening the toes are just as important.

Why should we exercise the toes?

  • Stretching out the toes can help prevent certain chronic issues and toe deformities like toe cramping, hammertoes, and Morton’s neuroma.
  • Strong toes help you with balance and stability to improve performance for athletic activities.  
  • Healthy and flexible toes help prevent serious injury.

Toe exercises to do together (in the form of games):

  • Tiptoe competition: How many times can you raise your heels while your toes remain on the ground? This is a great exercise for the calves too!
  • Moving Marbles: Using just the toes, move marbles from one plate to another. Race each other or see who can do it in the quickest time. This can also be done with small towels or other small objects.
  • Big Toes Game: If you’ve played the Thumbs Game as a group icebreaker, you know that it can be a fun prediction game. At each person’s turn, everyone raises 0, 1, or 2 thumbs, as the person whose turn it is calls out a number from 0 to the number of total available thumbs (a group of 4 would have 8 thumbs). In this version, use your big toes instead of your thumbs. It’s a fun way to learn to control your toes.
  • Spelling Game: Use the toes to spell words in the air – the first person to guess what you’re trying to write wins a point!
  • You can choose your own prizes and/or consequences, but one idea is that the winners can get foot massages from the losers!

If you find that you have pain or problems in your feet while you play some of these games, come to see our foot doctor for an assessment. Make an appointment today at Clark Podiatry Center. Our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy will assess your feet to find the best treatments or solutions for your feet. We are located in Clark, NJ and serve patients in all the surrounding Union County towns!

 

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By Foot Centers of Texas
March 15, 2013
Category: Uncategorized
Tags: Neuroma  

NeuromaA neuroma is a thickening of nerve tissue that can develop in various parts of your body. In the foot, the most common occurring neuroma develops at the base of the third and fourth toes. This condition is referred to as Morton's neuroma.

There are typically no physical signs of Morton's neuroma, such as a lump or a knot. Instead, symptoms may include:

  • A sharp, achy or burning pain in the ball of your foot
  • Numbness, tingling, or cramping in the toes or forefoot
  • Feeling as if you're standing on a pebble in your shoe

While the exact cause of Morton's neuroma is unknown, the growth of the neuroma seems to occur in response to injury, pressure or irritation to one of the nerves that lead to the toes. People with certain foot deformities - bunions, hammertoes and flatfeet- are at higher risk for developing a neuroma. Women are also more likely to develop this condition as wearing high-heels or narrow-toed shoes can increase pressure on the toes. Other potential causes are activities that involve repetitive irritation to the ball of the foot, such as running.

Morton's neuroma can make walking and performing normal activities difficult and painful. Treatment options vary with the severity of each neuroma, and identifying the neuroma in its earliest stage of development is important to avoid more invasive treatments or surgical correction. Left untreated, neuromas tend to worsen, so it's always best to visit our Sugar Land, TX office at the first sign of pain.

Early treatments aim to relieve or reduce pressure on the area around the affected toes. Depending on the severity of your neuroma, a podiatrist may recommend:

  • Modifications to footwear. Wide-toed shoes relieve pressure on the neuroma.
  • Shoe inserts or padding to provide support for the arch of the foot, which removes pressure from the nerve.
  • Anti-inflammatory medications can help ease any pain and inflammation. Ask your doctor first.
  • Icing to reduce inflammation.
  • Rest to lessen repetitive pressure on the neuroma.

In the most severe cases, surgery may be recommended for patients who do not respond to conservative treatments.  Foot Centers of Texas can help you determine the best approach for your specific condition.

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Podiatrist - Clark, Dr. Brandon Macy, 1114 Raritan Road, Clark NJ, 07066 732-382-3470