What is it?

Morton’s Neuroma is a painful condition that affects the ball of your foot, most commonly the area between your 3rd and 4th toes. Our patients often describe Morton’s Neuroma as feeling as though a pebble in in the shoe or a fold in the sock. Morton’s Neuroma involves a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes. It causes a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot. The toes can also sting, burn or feel numb.

Morton’s Neuroma most commonly results from squeesing on the nerves in the foot caused by ill-fitting shoes or abnormal foot motion (such as flat feet).

The risk of developing Morton’s Neuroma is increased by:

• Wearing high heeled or ill-fitting shoes
• Participating in high impact athletic activities such as jogging or running.
• Having bunions, hammer toe, high arches or flat feet

4 Life Podiatry

The good news is that the pain from Morton’s Neuroma can be relieved fairly easily with the right custom orthotic. Our Orthotech 3D scanner and custom orthotic laboratory will ensure the correct fitting orthotic to relieve this condition. Padding may temporarily be worn in the forefoot area to further reduce the pressure on the nerve.

Prevention & Home Management Strategies

• Wear wider shoes to reduce the pressure on the toes
• Place an ice pack on the affected area for 20minutes to reduce swelling
• Avoid activities that aggravate the condition whilst it is resolving