At-Home Treatments May Help Neuroma Pain

If you feel a sharp pain on the bottom of your foot, stop and take some notes. What else do you feel? Is the pain stinging? Shooting? Burning? All these words describe the type of pain our clients at Clifton Foot & Ankle Center feel when they have Morton’s neuroma.

Neuroma pain originates from a squeezed nerve, usually between the third and fourth metatarsals (the long bones of the midfoot). Tight shoes, or too much time in high heels is the most likely cause of a squeezed nerve. If you often wear shoes with a narrow toe box, you may pinch the nerve so much that it responds by thickening. The enlarged nerve is what’s causing your foot pain.

Test yourself at home
There’s a simple test that you can do at home to try to determine if you’ve got Morton’s neuroma. Place your palms, one on each side of your midfoot, and squeeze. (It may be easier to have someone else do this for you.) If you hear a clicking sound and/or feel a stabbing pain that goes away as soon as you take the pressure off, there’s a good chance you’ve got a nerve problem.

Solutions to try
You may be able to reduce nerve irritation in your foot at home with these conservative treatments:

• Give your toes a break from squeezing: switch to shoes with plenty of room for your toes.
• Avoid high heels. They put more weight on your forefoot – right where the inflamed nerve is.
• Place pre-made orthotic inserts into your shoes specially made to relieve neuroma pain. They’re readily available at drug stores or online.
• Slip a metatarsal pad around your forefoot for extra cushioning (also readily available in stores).
• Perform toe-stretching exercises.

When you need more help with neuroma pain
These at-home methods may help. But they may not, and the enlarged nerve can continue to worsen. It may even lose its function entirely.

If your neuroma pain persists despite home treatments, visit our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Kenneth R. Wilhelm. We can help relieve nerve pain with prescription-strength anti-inflammatory medications, steroid injections, custom-fitting orthotics, or surgery to remove the irritated part of the nerve. Call our Centreville podiatry office (Fairfax County, Virginia) at (703) 996-3000. You may also make an appointment with Dr. Wilhelm online.