View Full Version : Relief from Morton's Neuroma
Old Grouse
06-11-2008, 13:12
On a recent thread someone mentioned that Superfeet Orange insoles are intended to relieve metatarsal discomfort. I ran right out and bought a pair, and am thrilled to report that the orange version definitely provides me with significant relief. If you suffer from this common problem, give this product a try.
Since I got the official diagnosis of Morton's Neuroma earlier this summer, I've been playing around with ways to keep it from bothering me. The podiatrist was keen to start shots and whatnot, but the problem is only intermittent, so I demurred.
One thing I noticed was that it only kicked in when I was walking uphill for a long ways, and that it doesn't happen at all when my feet are very cold (such as when walking in snow), but happens quite quickly in warm weather.
I noticed that the afflicted foot seems to be considerably wider than it used to be, so I measured. It is now more than 1/4" wider than the other foot.
I started thinking maybe I just need to get wider shoes. In the meantime, it being summer, I've been wearing sandals. The numbness doesn't happen at all when my foot has room to spread.
Then today, I saw a sidebar ad on gmail:
http://www.nbannapolis.com/new_balance/mortons-neuroma-c-43_45_65.html?gclid=CJC68saUm5UCFQLBsgodoSytfw
I guess I won't be getting the Nobel Prize for discovering the best treatment for Morton's Neuroma. Doggone it!
FYI- A number of NB shoes with SL-2 lasts are motion control. If you do not need motion control, their use may cause other problems.
Marta- Stumbled across any good cause/treatments for ball of foot numbness? I never get good ads like the one you posted!
Old Grouse
08-20-2008, 10:05
That’s interesting indeed.
Curiously, my MN seems to be in remission or something, and under strange circumstances. In early July my daughter and I sectioned from DWG to High Point (her first time hammocking and she’s hooked). Because of the MN I chose to wear an old pair of North Face Gortex-lined trail runners with stiffer soles, and put the orange Super Feet in them. Bad decision!
It was hot - in the 90s much of the time - and my feet sweated much more than ever before. Despite avoidance efforts, I wound up with huge blisters on the balls of both feet, and later some on my toes on the first day. Every step on those imported PA rocks was agony, but there was nothing to do but tighten my laces and hike on. I made it, but I’m still cutting away loose, dead skin.
Talk about your painful learning experiences! No more Gortex except maybe on a short wet winter hike. But here’s the weird thing - my Morton’s Neuroma has disappeared. Not only did I have no symptoms while hiking, it’s been virtually nonexistent since! Go figure!
PS: Sadly, my painful dogs also made me miss a planned day hike with LIHikers and Chenango that I was looking forward to. Dang!
gravityman
08-20-2008, 10:34
My wife suffered from Morton's Neuroma in 2001. So much that it was excruciating to walk after 1000 miles and was a major factor for leaving the trail that year.
We worked quite hard at finding a solution.
The main problem was shoes too narrow. We realized that even on the hike, and she switched to wider toebox shoes, but it was too late. It took a long time (1+year) for the scar tissue formed around the nerve to slowly disappear, and that was probably the major thing that helped.
Custom Insoles (and I mean real custom, not Superfeet custom) - The Sport Meds doc that made the insoles here in Boulder was a real artist and spent a lot of time with my wife and did multiple reworks to make them 'just right.' First he tried 3/4 length - BIG MISTAKE. He then went to full length, and added a metatarsal pad right under the problem area. This helped lift and separate the toe bones so they didn't collapse in, squeeze the nerve, and cause the problem. Took us over a year of tweaks before the insoles were 'just right.' This was all included in the original price.
Finally, after running a marathon, a 175 test hike on the LT, and numerous daily and weekend hikes, we thought we had it all figured out and started from GA again in 2005. Well, my Bly gap she was having ball of foot pain, the precursor last time to the MN. I added some thick (1/8" ) mole skin in two layers with a hole cut out to let the ball of the foot drop. This was the last final tweak that seemed to solve the issue, and we proceeded to ME without any more foot issues. PHEW!
It's a bugger, and it takes a lot of attention, but it can be solved! I think the injections probably help the immediate recovery, but the long term solution is to keep the nerve from getting pinched by figuring out how to support the metatarsal arch and let the ball of the foot drop.
Gravity
Good to hear that success story! It gives me some other things to try.
I tried Toesocks, on the theory that they would spread out my toes. That's great, except that when I put my feet in the same old shoes, the numbness started almost immediately. At this point, if I even wear constricting socks, the problem starts.
I'm too cheap to replace all my hiking shoes at one go, so right now I'm working with wearing very thin, soft socks in the cold weather, and sandals in the warm weather.
gravityman
08-20-2008, 11:18
Good to hear that success story! It gives me some other things to try.
I tried Toesocks, on the theory that they would spread out my toes. That's great, except that when I put my feet in the same old shoes, the numbness started almost immediately. At this point, if I even wear constricting socks, the problem starts.
I'm too cheap to replace all my hiking shoes at one go, so right now I'm working with wearing very thin, soft socks in the cold weather, and sandals in the warm weather.
We have spent a painful amount of cash on shoes. Everytime we find just the right ones, they stop making them or change them.
Current favorites are the Women's Nike Trail Pegasus. Nice roomy toebox. Note that men's and women's versions of the same shoe are made on different lasts and thus have very different widths in the toebox.
You can usually tell just by looking if the toebox is going to be wide enough.
There are very inexpensive 'metarasle pads' that you can stick to existing insoles that might help. Also try the hole in thick moleskin trick under the ball of the foot. It really helped her, but it took some tweaking so it didn't feel wierd. Of course anything that fills up your existing shoes is going to cause more problems than it curse right now.
Good luck and keep working on it. Realize that the immediate issue will just take some time to resolve itself.
Gravity
Safety Pins
08-20-2008, 12:47
I am a runner as well as hiker and have dealt with MN intermittently for quite a while. Most recently new custom orthotics have helped, but not completely all the time. I have devised a simple solution which helps me but may not help everyone. In addition to having footwear with a wide toebox and keeping the laces nearest the toes very loosely tied (though can tighten closer to the ankle), I wind a doubled or tripled length of 1" gauze tape between my big toe and second toe, and around the second and third, and between the third and little toe, bringing the end of the tape around to the front foot and adhesive-taping to fasten, thereby creating some spacing between the toes that can be affected. Can also have more thicknesses, and for some the 2" tape might work better. Hope this may help someone with this pesky condition. Safety Pins
Mother's Finest
08-20-2008, 13:57
Mortons Neuroma
The only thing you need to worry about with Shoes and mortons neuroma is fit. Wide and free are what you want your toes to be.
But beyond that, to help fix the problem, one has to fix the improper biomechanics that caused the nerve to become compressed in the first place. this almost always has to do with a proper orthotic to re-distribute weight properly.
peace
mf
I'll 2nd the custom orthotics with metatarsal pad. I was diagnosed with MN about 10 years ago. I ended up at an orthopeadic doctor. He said I had 2 options: surgery to clip the nerves (and thereby deaden the toes) or a custom orthodic support. He recommended the latter as a first step, and referred me to a physical therapist (?) that fitted custom orthotics. It took several fittings, including tweaking where the metatarsal pad went. Interestingly, this occurred at a time when I had re-started running and working out. I soon noticed that my size 9 shoes no longer fit, and that my foot was wider....
I now wear 10.5, and will buy an 11 for hiking shoes/boots that I expect to wear thick socks in. I'll also only buy shoes or boots that I know have a wider than average toebox (can't wear Nikes, for example - my last 4 pair of hiking shoes / boots have been Merrells). The leather custom orthotic (it was 3/4 leather, glued to a 1/2 fiberglass base) rotted away several years ago, so I haven't worn one (other than superfeet in my hiking shoes / boots). If I step wrong on that foot, I still feel the bundle of nerves, but very seldom have the kind of pain I had before.