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Morton's Neuroma
Morton's neuroma is a thickening of a nerve between the toes, most often between the third and fourth. It produces burning or shooting pain in the ball of the foot and the sensation of a stone in the shoe. Narrow footwear both provokes and worsens it, which means the single most useful change is often the simplest one.
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Does this sound like you?
Most people have several of these, not all of them.
- Burning or shooting pain in the ball of the foot
- A sensation of standing on a pebble or a folded sock
- Numbness or tingling in the affected toes
- Relief on removing the shoe and rubbing the foot — very characteristic
- Symptoms clearly worse in narrow shoes
Why it happens
- Narrow or pointed footwear compressing the forefoot
- High heels increasing pressure through the ball of the foot
- High-impact activity, particularly running
- Foot shape that loads the forefoot heavily
- Bunions or other deformity crowding the toes
What we would do about it
Roughly in this order — each step waits for the one before it.
- Footwear change to a wider toe box, which is often most of the answer
- Offloading padding to spread the metatarsal heads
- Foot and calf strengthening
- Manual therapy and nerve mobilisation through the forefoot
- Activity and load modification
- Referral for injection or a surgical opinion where it persists
See a doctor first if
- Your pain followed a significant injury
- It is getting worse rather than settling
- It comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment.
Often the shoes are most of the problem
A wider toe box changes this for a lot of people. If it has not, there is more we can do before injections come into it. Ask a question first, or call us on 0403 907 587.
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Other foot conditions we treat
Related reading: big toe joint changes, heel pain and nerve compression in the hand.
General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Morton's Neuroma on Physiopedia.
