At least once a day, a patient will hobble through the doors of Delray Beach Podiatry complaining of a lingering pain caused by Morton’s neuroma.
Morton’s neuroma is inflammation, thickening, or enlargement of the nerve between the bones of the toes. It is sometimes referred to as an intermetatarsal neuroma due to its location in the ball of the foot between the metatarsal bones.
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The condition occurs when the medial plantar nerve near the bones of those toes becomes compressed or irritated, possibly because the metatarsal bones press against the nerve in the narrow gap between the toes.
Morton’s neuroma can cause a sharp, burning, or shooting pain that can get progressively worse over time. The pain becomes worse when a person walks or stands on the ball of the foot.
Other symptoms include:
– Tingling, burning, or numbness
– A feeling that something is inside the ball of the foot
– A feeling that there’s something in the shoe or a sock is bunched up
— A clicking noise
Dr. Ian S. Goldbaum, a podiatric physician and surgeon with over 30 years of experience, has found the most successful way for treating Morton’s neuroma is with a mixture of injection therapy and custom-made orthotics.
In developing a treatment plan, Dr. Goldbaum first determines how long a patient has been suffering from the neuroma, and then evaluates its stage of development as treatment will undoubtedly vary according to the severity of the problem.
If the problem is moderate, injections and padding can be expected.
“We do numerous injections to the area,” said Dr. Goldbaum. “We need to offload, usually between the metatarsals, with orthopedic pads and strapping. If patients do well with the injections and the therapy, then we put them into an orthotic which positions the weight off of the area.”
Injection therapy is an outpatient procedure performed by Dr. Goldbaum once every 11 days until the patient has received three consecutive treatments. The injection is a synthetic steroid mix and is applied directly to the area. With this treatment, Dr. Goldbaum has seen a 91-percent success rate in treating Morton’s neuroma.
“We inject it, shrink it down, and then put them in an orthotic,” said Dr. Goldbuam.
Although exact cause of Morton’s neuroma is not known, but the choice of footwear is generally believed to be a factor. High heels and shoes with pointed toes place your feet in an unnatural position that can cause damage to the area. In fact, anything that causes compression or irritation of the nerves in your feet can lead to the development of a neuroma. For this reason, orthotics play a key role in not only treating Morton’s neuroma, but also keeping it at bay.
“The whole idea with the orthotic is because their fat pad is no longer there,” said Dr. Goldbaum. “When you put the orthotic in, it lifts the bone back in position and respositions the weight off the metatarsal heads.”
In some cases, however, surgery may be considered if patients do not respond adequately to non-surgical treatments.
“You can treat it and patients won’t have pain for many years,” said Dr. Goldbaum. “If it doesn’t go away, then sometimes I need to surgically remove the nerve.”
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The content on this website is for informational purposes only. Do not rely or act upon information from www.DelrayBeachPodiatry.com without seeking professional medical advice. If you live in South Florida and would like a consultation with Dr. Ian Goldbaum, a podiatric physician and surgeon with over 30 years of experience, please see our contact information below:
BOCA/DELRAY
16244 S. Military Trail #290, Delray Beach, FL 33445
561-499-0033
BOYNTON BEACH
8198 Jog Road #100, Boynton Beach, FL 33472
561-499-0033
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