Morton's Neuroma

I had that last month.....

It finally went away. Thank GOD....

I wore more lose shoes with a wider toe box. increases blood flow and circulation to the foot.

I iced my foot each night...

I laid off the hard impact activities like running for a while and I massaged my foot each night....

GOOD LUCK..

Haven't had to deal with that, but tell Morton he can keep that crap and kick him in the junk just for good measure

lol!  Yes, I think that when I run in my races! 

Oh yeah. I had a doozy of one back in '05, and eventually had it surgically removed (see below). March '05 to Jan. '06 was long enough for me!

Short of that, you can try metatarsal pads; www.injurybegone.com makes a good one that adheres to the sockliner of your running shoes. The only problem with this is that you might need to experiment - a lot! - with where to place it so that it effectively separates the metatarsals and thus relieves pressure on the nerve bundle that, when inflammed, is the neuroma that is bothering you. As you experiment, just use white medical tape (the paper tape is best for this) to keep it in place while you try to find the best spot for it.

Wide(r) shoes with a more commodious toebox are best, as anything that laterally compresses the foot can exacerbate the problem. Women (and men, too, for that matter ) are best served to stay away from heels; both genders should avoid cowboy boots!

If no relief comes, you might want to try corticosteroid shots. However, too many of these can degrade the fatty tissue that makes up the ball of your foot, and as my doctor once told me, that will make you feel as if you are running directly on your metatarsal heads --- worse by far than running with a neuroma! When the corticosterlid itself is combined with an alcohol (?), it can work to shrink the neuroma. This has been very effective for many sufferers, but sadly it never worked for me. I think a better chance happens with this treatment if you can get the neuroma early in its life.

My eventual solution came with surgery. If it turns out that you go this route, opt for the surgery from the top rather than the bottom. Not only will recovery be quicker, but it will also be easier -- that is, crutches not required. I was in a minimal protective boot for about a week, and able to lift weights in the gym in 5 days; on my bike on the trainer at 10 days; on the Concept 2 rower at 11 days; swimming at 14 days; doing my first run at 30 days. Within 10 days of that first run I was back up to 42 minutes comfortably, so all in all it was a very quick recovery; and I was 57 at the time!

A final note:
By fall of '07 I had developed an up-and-coming neuroma on the other foot, but just randomly trying a pair of Newton running shoes removed my symptoms virtually immediately. I explain this as the four "lugs" on the bottom of the shoe serving to separate the metatarsals. Most metatarsal bars on custommade orthotics run crosswise, which is exactly the opposite of the Newton lugs. Now, it might be that the way the lugs line up with my particular feet is just right for this......but Newtons also worked for a Newton-sufferer in my mentor group, so there just might be something to it!

A final-final note:
My neuroma was not exactly Morton's. Morton's is between the 3rd and 4th and is much more common than mine, which was a Heuter's (?) --- between 2nd (index) and 3rd (middle) toes. But the woman in my mentor group had a Morton's, and the Newtons helped her, so that's something else for you to think about.

Best of luck with this; those neuromae are wicked, wicked things!!

Neuromas don't go away, but there are steps that you can take to keep from aggravating them. Compression is your enemy--whether it happens from shoes or activity. Don't overlook the fit of your bike shoes. Many of these are narrow and tight. Biking shoes with a wide toe box are hard to find--and then usually expensive. An alternative is to try a shoe stretcher (or the rear end of a pinch clamp) to stretch the toe box.

Have you had a gait analysis done? There might be something in your biomechanics that really load your foot--compressing it and aggravating the neuroma. Again, don't overlook what is happening on the bike.

Metatarsal pads worked really well for me. I've had them placed by a podiatrist, and they are usually set further back than you would expect--not directly underneath where the pain occurs (the under the ball of your foot) but back further toward the middle of your foot.  Good luck!

I had Mortons Nueromas in both feet! I agree with everything  Steve has said. I decided to have mine surgically removed this May as nothing helped. While I will say surgery is a final option, it has worked wonderfully for me!!! Recovery is rather quick. I had my surgery May 7th and I aquabiked a HIM on June 20th. Took me a while to get back to running but I ran 20 miles last week with NO problem/pain. I am scheduled to do IMAZ in 16 days.. I wear custom orthotics in both my running and bike shoes. I never leave home without them. I did notice that after my surgery I had far less problems with feet and calf cramps while swimming ( happy not to have that problem anymore). I am a nurse and on my feet all the time. This surgery has really improved my life. If it is something you consider, try to find a surgeon/podiatrist who cares for athletes. My surgeon is an ironman and ultra runner...he gets it!!! He was able to tell me what I could and couldnt do in the post op period. This was EXTREMELY helpful.

Good luck with this, hope you can get some relief!

PAULA -

He is correct about the numbness/loss-of-feeling, but after little more than a month I forgot all about it. Sometimes when I wash between the toes I can feel the absence of feeling (huh?), but it's pretty minimal. For me, the main source of pain was on the lateral side of the right index (2nd) toe; hat is, on the side facing the middle (3rd) toe. So, that is the only spot where I have ne feeling - or very,very little. The rest of that toe - top, bottom, medial side - is full of feeling, as is the middle toe. As for scarring, I see it only because I know it is there, and evn at that it is barely noticeable.

Those metatarsal pads I mentioned from www.injurybegone.com are officially called Metatarsal Lift Compression Pads. Just so you know!

A friend of mine has this, and he's going in for surgery. His is bad enough that he's not doing the athletic things he used to, though. Good luck.

There's a lot more to a gait analysis than where you strike when you land. It should also include measurements of things like hip rotation and flexion, how much force you strike with, how long you are on each foot, how much you brake with each foot, etc.

These things are very important. If you get surgery, and don't correct the underlying cause that aggravates the nueroma, you'll end up in the same boat again, with that or a different injury. You may need to learn to run with a completely different form--heel striking is more than a function of where you put your foot when you land--it is the end result of an entire kinetic chain.

Before you go the surgery route, you might think about taking a break from running until the pain is gone, then starting over (yes, 1 minute run/1 minute walk for very short distances) focusing on run form. A good sport doc and a sport specific PT are the best combo to help with this.

I apologize for bump an old topic from the dead, just have a few interesting observations from personal experience, maybe someone will need this information in the future.
I had a Morton's neuroma. It was confirmed with an ultrasound scan. The scan showed the neuroma to be 13mm by 5mm. I was told by an orthopaedic consultant surgeon that the best option for me was surgery to remove the neuroma. The pain I was getting was excruciating........like really sharp electric shocks. I had the surgery and was on crutches for 2 weeks. The result is BRILLIANT :-) No pain at all. Before the surgery I had tried cushioning in my running orthoses; but it didn't help much. I was told my neuroma was too large for a steroid injection to have a sustained benefit. The surgery removed the neuroma and also some of the actual nerve. The neuroma was between my 3rd and 4th metatarsal. As a consequence of part of the nerve been removed surgically- I now have a persistently numb area between my toes. this I must admit concerned me initially. It feels like a crease is present in my sock. However- I hardly notice it now. I get NO PAIN whatsoever now.
From the shoe point of view.......I have recently started running in Hoka one one Cliftons https://bestoutdooritems.com/best-running-shoes-for-mortons-neuroma-... . I loved them so much that I have also got for my birthday another model of Hoka. These shoes are extremely well cushioned- the best cushioning of any shoe I have tried.
Fitz- I hope the yoga sandals help. Please keep us informed how you are getting on. I certainly couldn't run with my neuroma.....it was bad enough walking. Take it easy if you are still able to run. I am guessing running 16m is just aggrevating the neuroma. GOOD LUCK.