4 Tips to Relieve Neuroma Pain Without Surgery

Your nervous system is the network in your body that transmits signals to the brain, managing different functions like sensation, pain, autonomic functions, and muscle movement. If a nerve is pinched or compressed, it can lead to several sensations, like sharp, aching, or burning pain, tingling, numbness, muscle weakness, or the feeling a part of your body has fallen asleep.

A neuroma is a form of a pinched nerve that can happen anywhere in the body but often strikes your feet. It can happen for different reasons, but many treatments are available to manage the pain and help your foot recover. To look at some options to care for neuromas that don’t require surgery, let’s look at the basics of neuromas, the signs and causes of the condition, and the nonsurgical ways to treat them.

If you live in the Fort Worth or Weatherford, Texas, area and you’re trying to get treatment for foot pain related to neuromas, Drs. Gary Driver, Glen Beede, Gregory Jaryga, and the skilled staff at Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists can help.

Defining neuroma

Also referred to as Morton’s neuroma when referring to the nerve problem on your foot, this is specifically the inflammation and enlargement of the nerves located in the nerves between your metatarsal bones connected to your third and fourth toes. This noncancerous growth is also called an interdigital or intermetatarsal neuroma and is common enough that one in three people will develop it during their lifetime.

The damaged nerves in this condition are swollen and thickened, often making you feel like you have a stone or ball in your shoe. Left untreated, it can get larger and cause permanent nerve damage.

Causes and symptoms

This foot problem is often caused by wearing shoes that are too tight or with high heels, and things like flat feet, high arches, bunions, and hammertoes increase your risk of dealing with it. Other things that can lead to this form of a neuroma include foot injuries and sports activities that require tight-fitting shoes (skiing and ballet) or repetitive motions (running, racquet sports), as they will work to increase pressure on the ball of your feet.

If you’re dealing with a neuroma in your feet, you’re likely to experience pain that comes and goes (intermittent), burning pain in the ball of your foot, and the previously mentioned feeling of a rock or ball in your shoe. It can also make your toes feel numb and tingle with radiating pain, making walking harder, but in some cases, you feel no pain or other symptoms.

Non-surgical treatment options

Surgery is generally the option only used when other means have been exhausted, and those options include:

1. Home remedies

To manage this foot problem at home, you can massage the affected area, rest the foot, apply an ice pack, use arch support, and avoid activities that exacerbate the neuroma as it recovers.

2. Exercises

In addition to the other home tips, exercises to help reduce symptoms include ball rolls, plantar fascia stretches, and big toe stretches. 

3. Medications

Over-the-counter or prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroid injections can help reduce pain and swelling. Local anesthetics and alcohol sclerosing injections can also help offer short-term relief and reduce the size of the neuroma, respectively.

4. Footwear changes 

Arch-supporting shoes, metatarsal pads, and other orthotic devices can help relieve symptoms, along with wearing broad-toed shoes to reduce friction.

Surgeries to relieve the pressure or remove the nerve can be done, but only if the other conservative options fail to get results. So, if you’re experiencing neuroma symptoms, make an appointment with Drs. Driver, Beede, Jaryga, and Trinity Foot & Ankle Specialists today to get the treatment you need.