If you get a sharp, burning or stabbing pain in the ball of your foot, chances are you have a “Morton’s neuroma”. Dr. Thomas Silver at the Westwood Foot Clinic in Golden Valley, MN is the leading expert in the treatment of neuromas in Minnesota and can quickly get you back to pain-free activities... often without the need for surgery.

WHAT IS A NEUROMA?

Those that suffer from Morton’s neuroma will have pain in the ball of their foot that is described as either sharp, burning, knife-like, stabbing, shooting, electric shock or tingling. This pain occurs most commonly between the two toes. When the nerve between your toes gets pinched by the adjacent bones it will swell and will cause the type of nerve pain described above. The word neuroma literally means “swollen nerve”. Over time, the swollen nerve can form a rubbery type of callus around it from constantly being rubbed and squeezed between the toe bones. Neuroma pain will often come on suddenly and go away only when you take your shoe off and rub the ball of your foot or take the weight off your foot. The pain can become so disabling that it can prevent participation in sports for from even doing ordinary every day activities such as walking.

WHAT CAUSES A NEUROMA?

The nerve between your toes can become pinched from a number of causes including:

• A shoes that is too tight. This is most commonly seen with stiff leather loafers, tight flats, pointy or high heeled shoes
• Wide feet, bunions or feet that spread in the toes. A wide or splayed foot will often become restricted or the bones will push together in shoes.
• A weak foot structure that causes the feet to roll inward and pinch nerves.
• Arthritic changes in toes can cause the nerve to get pinched.

HOW DO I KNOW IF THE PAIN I HAVE IS FROM A NEUROMA?

The classic sign of a neuroma is shooting pain between the toes or metatarsal bones in the ball of your foot when the area is squeezed from top to bottom. Occasionally there can be pain when squeezing the bones of the foot together from side to side. When the neuroma is severe the nerve may be felt to pop up and down or click between bones and there may even be swelling between the toes. At the Westwood Foot Clinic, a neuroma can be confirmed by visualization with diagnostic ultrasound. An x-ray can also be helpful in diagnosing a neuroma by showing changes in the position of bones. An MRI is occasionally necessary for diagnosis in atypical cases.

WHAT IS THE TREATMENT FOR NEUROMA?

There are typically two stages in the treatment of a neuroma:

1. To stop the neuroma pain, by shrinking the swollen nerve.
2. To take the pressure off the nerve, to keep the pain away.

Once a neuroma has been properly diagnosed and visualized, it can be targeted with a small amount of a long acting anesthetic combined with a small amount of cortisone. This will shrink the swollen nerve and dissolve any fibrous callus build-up around the nerve, often in one to two treatments.

To keep the pain away, the pressure is taken off of the nerve by prescription foot orthotics with a metatarsal pad incorporated into it. The orthotics will realign your foot to prevent the bones from rubbing against the nerve.

Occasionally surgery is necessary to remove a neuroma that has become too damaged to respond to non-surgical treatment. Dr. Silver has a track record of resolving neuroma pain non-surgically in close to 95% of those he has treated.

A PROVEN TRACK RECORD!

Dr. Thomas Silver at the Westwood Foot Clinic is the leading expert in the treatment of Morton’s Neuromas in Minnesota. He has treated thousands of people suffering with neuroma pain. Most patients he treats with neuroma pain respond in just a few simple clinic visits... rarely requiring surgery. If you or someone you care about is suffering from neuroma pain, than an appointment with an expert in neuroma care is necessary. Call today or schedule an appointment on-line. Same day appointments are often available.

Westwood Foot Clinic proudly serves the communities of St. Louis Park, New Hope, Plymouth, Wayzata, and Minneapolis.