Feel Like You’re Walking on a Pebble? It Could be a Neuroma

A neuroma is a nerve that’s irritated so much it grows thicker. A common neuroma we see here at Clifton Foot & Ankle Center is called Morton’s neuroma – a thickening of a nerve, usually between the third and fourth toes (the two located next to your pinky).

Irritation from where?
Neuroma’s form when the toes repeatedly squeeze together by shoes with narrow toe boxes. Women who wear high heels are particularly prone to Morton’s neuroma because heels force so much weight onto the ball of the foot and the toes.

Also, high-impact sports such as tennis or running can put continuous pressure on the toes and cause a neuroma. An accident can cause injury to the nerve. Being overweight can also put undue stress on your toes. Finally, you can get a neuroma simply from having high arches, hammertoes, or flat feet.

What does a neuroma feel like?
A neuroma doesn’t form a lump or growth that you can see from the outside. But the abnormal mass is something you can definitely feel. You may feel burning, tingling, or pain in between your toes. Walking can become very uncomfortable. And, with every step, you want to reach down into your shoe and pulling out that pebble that’s stuck in there!

Feelings of tingling and burning ease up at night, when you wear a lower heel, or when you’re resting your feet.

Unfortunately, if you’ve got toe pain with every step, there’s probably nothing stuck in your shoe. And you certainly shouldn’t try to pull anything out from under your skin. The best thing to do for a neuroma is to visit our board-certified podiatric surgeon, Dr. Kenneth R. Wilhelm for treatment.

Neuroma treatments
Dr. Wilhelm treats neuromas using various conservative approaches here at our Fairfax County office, including:

• orthotic inserts to relieve pressure and prevent the neuroma from progressing
• prescription medications to reduce inflammation
• cortisone injections
• surgery to remove the enlarged nerve– a last resort for patients who can’t otherwise get relief

Neuromas will probably get worse without treatment. If rest and shoe changes alone don’t help, make an appointment with Dr. Wilhelm for expert advice and treatment. Call our Centreville, Virginia office at (703) 996-3000 or contact us online.