Doctors are yet to understand the cause of Morton's neuroma

18 October, 2012

Morton's neuroma is a painful condition that affects the nerves between the toes. It often affects the nerve that travels between the third and fourth toe.

THE INDIVIDUAL suffering from Morton's neuroma feels as if he is standing on a pebble in the shoe or on a fold in the socks. Morton's neuroma thickens the tissue that surrounds the nerves which lead to the toes. It causes a sharp burning pain in the ball of the foot and a general feeling of stinging, burning or numbness in the feet.

The cause of Morton's neuroma is still not understood by the doctors; they say that the problem may arise due to pressure, irritation or injury to the nerve that leads to the toe. And the thickening of the nerve tissue is an auto response of the body towards the irritation or injury.

The factors that can trigger the Morton's neuroma could be wearing high heels, certain kind of sports and food deformities. The high heel footwear which is used by many people that are tight or ill-fitting can create pressure on your feet and toes. The sports which involve high impact athletic activities like running and jogging may cause trauma to your feet, and the sports which feature tight shoes like rock climbing and snow-skiing can also create pressure on your toes. Finally the people who have flat feet, bunions and hammertoes are at a high risk of getting this neuroma.

The symptoms of Morton's neuroma are tinging and numbness in the feet, burning sensation in the ball of foot which may radiate to the toes and a feeling of standing on a pebble. These symptoms can force a person to stop walking.

During the process of treatment of Morton's neuroma, the physician will check the feet for a palpable mass or 'click' between the bones. The physician will look for some evidences for the stress fracture in the bone. The initial treatment of Morton's neuroma will start with neurological therapies which are relatively simple.

Some of the precautions that will help the individuals suffering from Morton's neuroma are changing the footwear, using shoe inserts or pads that will relive the irritation and pain and using the corticosteroid injections.