South Edmonton Location
- Home
- Conditions
- Morton's neuroma
Morton's neuroma treatment in Edmonton
Morton's neuroma is a thickened nerve squeezed between the forefoot bones, felt as burning pain in the ball of the foot with tingling into two toes, often from narrow shoes. Assessment at our southeast Edmonton clinic screens the low back too.
Book an appointment
What is Morton's neuroma?
It is a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves running between the long bones of the forefoot, most often between the third and fourth toes. Despite the name it is not a tumour — it is an irritated, thickened nerve being compressed between the bones every time you push off. The classic description is burning or electric pain in the ball of the foot with numbness or tingling into the adjacent toes, and a feeling of standing on a pebble or a rucked-up sock.
What brings it on
Compression is the common thread. Narrow or pointed shoes squeeze the forefoot bones together; high heels shift load forward onto exactly that area; and a sudden increase in running, court sport or time on hard floors adds repetition to the squeeze.
Foot shape plays a part too — a very mobile forefoot, a long second toe, or a bunion that changes how load spreads across the ball of the foot. It is more common in women, which is usually put down to footwear rather than anything anatomical.
How it is assessed
The aim is to confirm the nerve is the source, and to find what is compressing it.
- Where exactly the pain and numbness sit, and which toes are involved
- Squeezing the forefoot across the metatarsals to see whether that reproduces it
- Pressing between the bones to find the tender interspace
- Looking at footwear, and at how the foot loads when you walk
- Screening the low back and nerve supply, since numbness in the foot can come from further up
What treatment usually involves
Taking the compression off first. That usually means a wider, lower-heeled shoe with a roomy toe box, and often a metatarsal pad or dome placed just behind the sore interspace to spread the bones slightly. Many people get meaningful change from these two things alone.
Then load management and strength: adjusting the volume and surface of walking or running, and building calf and intrinsic foot strength so the forefoot is not absorbing everything. Hands-on work to the forefoot and manual techniques can help it settle alongside.
If a fair trial of that does not shift it, a corticosteroid injection or, less commonly, surgery to decompress or remove the nerve are options through your physician. Surgery leaves permanent numbness in those toes, which is worth understanding before choosing it.
Questions people ask
Do I have to give up my shoes?
Not necessarily all of them, but the ones that compress the forefoot are the ones driving it. Most people find the practical answer is changing what they wear for the hours they are on their feet most, rather than clearing out the whole wardrobe.
Will orthotics fix it?
They can help, particularly with a metatarsal pad positioned correctly — placement matters more than the device. They work alongside footwear change and load management rather than as the whole plan. See custom orthotics.
Is the numbness permanent?
Usually not if the nerve stops being compressed, though it can be slow to settle because nerves recover more gradually than muscle or tendon. Numbness that is spreading or coming with weakness is a different picture and should be assessed promptly.
Can I keep running?
Often, with changes to volume, surface and shoe. Running through sharp nerve pain tends to keep it irritated, so the plan is usually to find the level that does not flare it and build from there.
Why does it feel like a pebble in my shoe?
The thickened nerve between the metatarsal heads sits right where the foot bears weight on push-off. Pressure on it produces that pebble or bunched-sock feeling, sometimes with burning into two toes. Taking the shoe off and rubbing the foot easing it is typical.
Do I need a wider shoe?
Often, yes. A narrow toe box squeezes the metatarsals together and compresses the nerve. A wider forefoot, lower heel and a small pad placed behind the ball of the foot are usually the first changes. Bring your everyday shoes to the appointment.
Is an injection or surgery needed?
Not first. Footwear changes, padding and calf and foot strengthening resolve many cases. If symptoms persist after that, a steroid injection is the next step and surgical removal is a last resort. You will be told plainly where you are on that pathway.
Book a foot assessment
Vertex Physiotherapy is at 6958 76 Ave NW #205, Edmonton, AB T6B 2R2. Call (825) 525-2852 or book online.