Moretons neuroma….any sufferers?

Been suffering from a stinging tingly, sometimes numb feet with a nasty shooting nerve pain in the toes for over a year now and after a bit of googling I’m thinking it could be Moretons neuroma. it’s bad enough now that only my running shoes or Birkenstocks are tolerable. It even flares up when driving and there’s no weight on my feet. It’s off to the docs for me (seems like a frequent thing since turning 50) to see what can be done but wondered if anyone else on here suffers and whats worked to ease it.

Yup, I’ve had mine for about five years. It’s time to get it cut out, hopefully in January.

Wide shoes (the barefoot style) and flip flops have helped enormously however.

I’m not sure there’s a real treatment after it gets to a certain size. The consultant reckoned my nerve was at 10mm which is pretty inflamed and it won’t reduce from there now it’s so big.

I had one cut out 23 years ago. Walking had been getting increasingly painful. The consultant tried an injection into it first but as that made no difference so he recommended surgery. Took a few weeks non weight bearing post surgery on crutches but it’s been fine since. Very pleased I got it sorted after putting it off for ages.

Yes but I haven’t done anything about it. Stopped running as that was a major source of inflammation, and it seems to only appear once or twice a month now.

Sounds promising knowing that an op is possible and can make a difference. Just wondering how it is diagnosed as there’s no noticeable lump on the foot or feet so is an x-ray required?

My GP thought I would need surgery, but due to other issues that would have been a pretty major reconstruction so it there as a fall back option. In the meantime, I have custom orthotics which are designed to spread the toes to give the neuroma space, which combined with shoes with a wide toe box have worked wonders. It’s not perfect, but I’m back to doing a lot of what I previously couldn’t.

My wife had this. All sorted via the GP. Pads designed to spread toes and wider shoes didn’t help. Steroid injections didn’t help (had to do 3 rounds) but having it cut out did. Strangely things like driving and swimming were most painful for her.

Going through this process took ages but the recovery from removing the neuroma was super quick and easy.

If it were me I would go to the GP, try to get a diagnosis as it may well be something else, and go from there. IIRC she had an ultrasound to spot the neuroma. As someone else pointed out, once the neuroma is a certain size, nothing helps except snipping it out so if I found it it was reasonably large and painful I’d be looking up private Morton’s neuroma removal to save 1-2 years messing around going through all the various NHS hoops

Sounds promising knowing that an op is possible and can make a difference. Just wondering how it is diagnosed as there’s no noticeable lump on the foot or feet so is an x-ray required?

ultrasound scan for mine, may have changed since then.

Ultrasound is usually first line imaging and that can often ascertain how doablean injection might be and if there is inflammation of the associated bursa.

Be prepared to have your feet squeezed and lots of gel between the toes!

Been struggling with it for last few years. Had insoles with pads to try and spread the weight and various injections but it keeps niggling away. Doesn’t help I’m a builder and have to wear steel toe cap boots. Next for me will be private op

Ok that’s interesting info. Obviously need to have an actual diagnosis and from there a potential op although it would seem they will want to try all the options first (judging from the responses these have been with limited success). Would paying for an Op negate the trialing and associated time?

I had one, but it went… or at least didn’t cause any further irritation once I had changed office shoes. initially felt like I was walking on a scrunched up sock, and then a small pebble in the shoe.

I had the op, as I pretty much couldn’t walk in the end and mountain biking was agony, I also had a bursa which needed to come out as well as the inflamed nerves so things were getting pretty crowded in there.

Follow your surgeon’s post op instructions to the letter, so feet up for two weeks, no nipping to the shop round the corner on your crutches etc, as if you don’t there is a danger of excessive bleeding in to the void left by the nerves, which happened to me, the wound opened when the stitches came out and I had an open haematoma, very dangerous, it then took months to heal properly and left me with a sticking up toe as the tendon no longer fires, apart from that it’s grand and I can walk, cycle etc like it never happened.

Yes found losing two & bit stones helps massively

According to the consultant, Ultrasound is part of the diagnosis but actually he said the most effective way is to actually feel it. He commented on how big it was.

….and then went to look at my foot……

Think I have had one for years, undiagnosed tho. Numbness then burning then searing pain in one foot after 4+ hours biking or running, less in hot weather. Tried all sorts of pedals, shoes and insoles, in the end I can “reset” it by taking the shoe off so I’ll just live with it.