Neuroma Specialist

What are neuromas?

Neuromas are noncancerous nerve tissue growths that develop between your toes and cause pain, burning, tingling, numbness, or other types of irritation in the ball of your foot. Most neuromas develop between the third and fourth toes. You may feel like there's a pebble stuck in your shoe if you have a neuroma. 

Walking, standing, or placing any kind of pressure on the balls of your feet can aggravate a neuroma. If you have a suspected neuroma, the best way to relieve your pain is prompt treatment at Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado. Neuromas often grow larger and cause increasingly worse symptoms without treatment.

Why do neuromas occur?

A neuroma can develop in any situation where the nerves running along the bottom of your foot sustain too much pressure. When this happens, your body forms a protective tissue barrier around the affected nerve. Unfortunately, the extra tissue compresses your nerve and triggers uncomfortable symptoms. 

The most common sources of excessive pressure leading to neuromas include: 

• High-impact exercise like running
• Shoes that bind your toes tightly
• High heels, especially those over two inches high
• Flatfeet or high arches
• Foot trauma, like dropping something heavy on your upper foot

Your podiatrist at Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado can identify the underlying reason for your neuroma and help you recover quickly.

How do you treat a neuroma?

Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado treats neuromas with a variety of effective approaches, including:

• New footwear with a wider toe box
• Pads to protect the ball of your foot
• Custom orthotics to correct foot function problems
• Anti-inflammatory medication for pain
• Corticosteroid injections for pain

Generally, conservative treatments work very well for neuromas. But, if you have a persistent neuroma that's causing serious symptoms, your podiatrist at Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado can perform an outpatient surgical procedure to remove the affected nerve and permanently stop symptoms.

Recovery generally takes a few weeks, but for severe neuroma symptoms, surgery can sometimes be the best choice.

The friendly podiatry specialists at Foot and Ankle Institute of Colorado offer customized neuroma treatment to end the miserable symptoms quickly. Call either office to speak with a friendly team member or click the online appointment maker to get started now.