WHAT IS A NEUROMA?
Patients will present with a sharp, burning pain in the ball of the foot, especially when walking. There may be tingling or numbness between the toes and in the ball of the foot. Often patients will describe a feeling like their sock is wrinkled or wadded up in the ball of the foot or you have a stone in your shoe. They may notice improvement of symptoms when the shoe is removed.
A neuroma is a painful growth of the nerve tissue in the foot, most often between the toes. The nerve gets irritated from activities, tight shoes, high heels or poor-fitting shoes. Injury or foot deformity can also cause a neuroma. If the nerve continues to get irritated it will swell. The most common location of neuroma is between the 3rd and 4th toes.
Some simple things to try is change of shoes, arch supports, ice and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. If pain persists then it is time to see a podiatrist to make the correct diagnosis of your foot pain and proceed with further treatment options such as cortisone injection to reduce inflammation and irritation to nerve. There are some patients who present with recurrent neuroma symptoms which get relief for period of time following conservative treatment that will require surgery to remove the neuroma.
To learn more, a podiatrist (specially trained foot doctor) will evaluate you. You will be asked questions regarding your health and will examine your feet to make sure your pain is not caused by other problems. You may need to get x-rays of your foot.