Morton's Neuroma Can Be Causing Your Toe and Foot Pain

There are a variety of reasons for foot pain, but if you have a sharp, stabbing pain that improves when you stop walking and massage your foot, you may have Morton's neuroma.

A neuroma is a thickening or enlargement of a nerve in the foot's interspaces, usually the third interspace between the third and fourth toes, followed by the second interspace between the second and third toes.

These symptoms may appear once in a while at first, but as the condition worsens, they may appear frequently:???

An injury to the nerve is thought to be the cause of Morton's neuroma, but scientists are still unsure of the exact cause of the injury.

All of these structures have the potential to compress and injure the nerve, resulting in swelling and damage to the nerve.

If the compression/injury persists, the nerve will repair itself with very fibrous tissue, resulting in nerve enlargement and thickening.

Other causes of nerve injury include overpronation, hypermobility, cavo varus, and excessive dorsiflexion of the toes, as well as having an incorrect walking style or an awkward foot structure, such as overpronation, hypermobility, cavo varus, and excessive dorsiflexion of the toes.

With each step, these biomechanical factors may injure the nerve.

When a nerve becomes irritated and enlarges, it takes up more space, compressing and irritating it even more.

The compression test is performed by squeezing the metatarsals together with one hand and compressing the affected area with the other hand's thumb and index finger to simulate pain or other symptoms.

This will almost always result in pain or exacerbate your other symptoms.

Metatarsal pads: These assist in lifting and separating the metatarsal heads, relieving pressure on the nerve.

Extra torque and pressure on the nerve can result from the abnormal motion.

Cortisone injection: Aids in the reduction of the irritated, enlarged nerve's size.

Alcohol injection: Aids in the chemical destruction of the nerve.

The nerve may be cut or the intermetatarsal ligament may be cut during surgery.

Read the original article "Your Toe and Foot Pain Could Be Caused by Morton's Neuroma" at https://www.verywellhealth.com/mortons-neuroma-common-cause-of-foot-pain-1337740