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Morton's neuroma

Burning pain between the toes, often with the feeling of a pebble under the ball of the foot. A nerve between two of the long foot bones has become thickened and is being squeezed, most often between the third and fourth toes.

Do not wait for an appointment

Uncommon in this condition — but they mean it is something else.

  • The foot becomes red, hot or swollen
  • You have diabetes and there is any break in the skin
  • The forefoot becomes numb rather than painful
  • The pain began after a fall or a direct injury to the foot
  • You cannot put weight on the foot
Foot & ankleWider shoes settle most of them

Do this

  • Wear the widest shoe you own, and take the shoes off whenever you can. Most people get their first relief the moment they take the shoe off and rub the foot
  • Use a metatarsal pad, placed just behind the sore spot rather than on it. Behind it spreads the bones apart; on it presses the nerve
  • Use a low heel. Height pushes the body weight forward onto exactly the part that hurts
  • Take the shoe off and massage the foot when the burning starts, rather than pushing through it
  • Tell us which two toes the feeling goes into. That tells us where the nerve is better than a scan does

Avoid this

  • Tight, pointed or narrow shoes, and anything with a heel while it is painful
  • Pressing or rolling hard directly on the tender spot between the toes. A neuroma is an irritated nerve, and pressing it is what sets it off
  • Long periods standing on a hard floor without a break
  • Repeated injections. One can be very useful; several in the same spot thin the fat pad you walk on
  • A scan as the first step. This is a diagnosis made by examining the foot

The questions everybody asks

What is actually swollen?

A nerve, not a lump in the joint.

The nerve running between two of the long foot bones towards the toes becomes thickened where it is squeezed. The word "neuroma" sounds like a tumour and it is not one — it is scarring and thickening of a normal nerve.

Why does it feel like a stone under my foot?

Because the thickened nerve sits right there.

People describe standing on a pebble, or a sock rucked up under the foot. It is the swollen nerve being compressed between the bones with every step, and it is one of the most recognisable descriptions in foot practice.

Why do my toes go numb?

That nerve supplies the sides of two toes.

Burning first, then pins and needles, then numbness along the facing sides of two neighbouring toes. Numbness usually means the nerve has been compressed for a while, so it is worth coming in rather than waiting further.

Will I need surgery?

Most people will not.

Wider shoes and a correctly placed pad settle the majority. An injection helps many of the rest. Surgery removes the thickened part of the nerve, which works well for pain but leaves permanent numbness between those two toes — a trade most people accept only after the simpler things have failed.

Guides for you

In your language, free to download. Each one is a short PDF you can keep on your phone or print.

Braces, Splints and Slings Englishहिंदीमराठी
Nerve Pain Tablets Englishहिंदीमराठी
After a Joint Injection Englishहिंदीमराठी
Footwear for the Diabetic Foot Englishहिंदीमराठी

On cost: if we suggest a scan, an injection or an operation, ask us what it costs and what happens if you do nothing. We will answer both. You should never feel pushed into spending money.

Consultation is ₹500 for a first visit and ₹300 for a follow-up, the same at both clinics. For anything else, ask at the desk or on WhatsApp before it is done — we will tell you the exact cost.

Should you come and see us?

A page is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If the pain is not settling, come in and have it looked at properly — bring any X-ray, MRI or CT films you already have.

Nallasopara West

Opposite Patil Hospital

Shop No. 14, Veena Apartment,
Opposite Patil Hospital, near Panchmukhi Hanuman Mandir,
S.T. Stand Road, Nallasopara West — 401203

Monday to Saturday
12:00 noon – 2:00 pm  ·  7:30 pm – 9:30 pm
Sunday by prior appointment only

Call 87665 22099

Virar East

Opposite Parimal Hospital

Shop No. 7, Damodar Tower,
Opposite Parimal Hospital, Morya Nagar,
Manvel Pada Road, Virar East — 401305

Monday to Saturday
5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Sunday by prior appointment only

Call 92702 84859

Other conditions

Ready when you are.

Call either clinic during consulting hours, or send a WhatsApp message any time.

Nallasopara West Virar East