Try A Cortisone Treatment to Alleviate Neuroma Pain
Feb 02, 2024
Many conditions can affect foot health and cause pain that makes it difficult to move through your day. One of our top priorities at Metroplex Foot and Ankle, LLP, is restoring pain-free mobility with the best podiatry services available for your specific needs and circumstances.
Our specialty team is happy to provide information about neuroma, how the condition occurs, and why cortisone injections may be part of our multifaceted approach to eliminating your pain and helping you stay active on your feet.
Also known as Morton's neuroma, a neuroma occurs when tissue surrounding nerves in the foot thickens, creating inflammation and pain. Neuromas typically develop on the nerve between the third and fourth toes.
Symptoms often start subtly, causing the uncomfortable sensation that you’re standing on a marble. Other signs include varying degrees of sharp, burning pain and numbness or tingling in the ball of the foot and affected toes.
Neuroma-related discomfort often intensifies with standing, walking, or running, making it difficult to carry out daily activities or participate in exercise routines or sports.
It’s unclear why some people develop a neuroma and others don’t, but the condition is typically related to injury, conditions, or activities that put pressure on the affected nerve. Factors that increase your risk of developing a neuroma include:
Wearing tight, narrow, or high-heeled shoes can compress the toes and contribute to the development of a neuroma.
Bunions, hammertoes, and other structural abnormalities can increase pressure on the nerves in the foot, potentially leading to a neuroma. Anatomical variations, such as a high arch or flat feet, may also increase the likelihood of developing Morton's neuroma.
Participating in activities that involve repetitive stress or pressure on the feet, such as running or activities that can cause foot trauma (i.e., soccer), may increase neuroma risk.
Morton's neuroma is more common in women than in men. This may be related to the types of footwear typically worn by women, such as high heels, which can contribute to compression of the nerves.
Jobs requiring prolonged standing or walking on hard surfaces may contribute to the development of Morton's neuroma.
Based on your evaluation at Metroplex Foot and Ankle, LLP, your neuroma treatment plan may include recommended changes in shoe style, physical therapy, or customized shoe inserts (orthotics) to relieve pressure on the affected nerve.
We may also recommend cortisone, a powerful anti-inflammatory medication that can be injected directly into the affected area to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. Cortisone injections target the inflamed tissue around the affected nerve, providing prompt relief and improving mobility.
Benefits of cortisone treatment for neuroma include:
We also consider conditions or injuries that increase your risk of developing a neuroma and design a custom prevention strategy. Your plan may include changes in shoe style, activity modification, shoe inserts, or other therapies to reduce pressure on nerves in the feet.
Ready to see how a cortisone injection can improve your neuroma pain? We can help. Call Metroplex Foot and Ankle, LLP, today, or click online to schedule an evaluation at your nearest office in Dallas, Garland, or Richardson, Texas, any time.