Foot Pain

Foot pain can significantly impact your daily life, but it doesn't have to. At Collective Foot and Orthotic Clinic, we specialize in diagnosing and treating a wide range of foot conditions, from general discomfort to more serious issues like a Morton’s neuroma or bunions.

Foot pain is extremely common and can develop for a variety of reasons, including overuse, injuries, underlying health conditions, and improper footwear. We work hard to help you feel good on your feet, starting with identifying the underlying cause of your foot pain. We take pride in providing our patients with a comprehensive understanding of their foot health so that we can work together to come up with a treatment plan to manage your foot health. Whether you're experiencing sharp pain, swelling, or just persistent soreness, we are here to help you find relief and get back on your feet.

Morton’s Neuroma

One possible cause of pain in the forefoot is Morton’s neuroma. A Morton’s neuroma is inflammation on a nerve in your foot. More specifically, it’s an enlargement in the interdigital nerves between the metatarsal bones that connect your foot to your third and fourth toes (your middle toes closest to your pinkie toe).

If you have a Morton’s neuroma, the affected nerve is thickened and swollen. This can make it painful or hard to walk. You’ll usually feel pain on the ball of your foot, between your toes. It might feel like there’s a stone in your shoe or like you’re stepping on a marble.

Morton’s neuroma symptoms usually get worse over time. You might notice some minor pain at first that goes away with rest or after you take off your shoe and massage your foot. As the inflammation on your affected nerve gets worse, your symptoms will become more noticeable. For this reason, it is vital for those who suspect they have a Morton’s neuroma to see a Chiropodist to learn how to relieve this discomfort and reduce the inflammation in the affected nerve.

Morton’s Neuroma: Causes and Prevention

Morton's neuroma seems to occur in response to irritation, pressure or injury to one of the nerves that lead to your toes. Some factors that appear to contribute to Morton's neuroma include:

  • Wearing high-heeled shoes or shoes that are tight or ill fitting can place extra pressure on your toes and the ball of your foot

  • Participating in high-impact athletic activities such as jogging or running may subject your feet to repetitive trauma

  • People who have foot deformities such as bunions, hammertoes, high arches or flat feet are at higher risk of developing Morton's neuroma

  • An injury or other type of trauma to the area may also lead to a neuroma

The best way to prevent developing Morton’s neuroma is investing in proper footwear. Good footwear has a wide toe-box, meaning that the part of your shoe that surrounds your toes should not squeeze or pinch your toes, but should allow them to rest in a natural position. Avoiding wearing high-heeled shoes on a daily basis is also recommended as high-heels force your body weight onto the front of your feet and force your feet forward in your shoe. This creates a lot of pressure in the area where Morton’s neuroma typically forms. Heels that are two inches or lower are ideal. It is also vital to ensure your shoes have adequate support. Arch supports, cushioned soles, and orthotic inserts provide the structure necessary to support your foot in a natural position and provide padding in the balls of your feet. When participating in sports, choose athletic footwear that is designed to stabilize your foot. 

Other lifestyle adjustments like using proper form when exercising and maintaining a healthy weight are vital to ensure that you are not placing undue pressure on your foot and increasing your risk for Morton’s neuroma.

Because other foot injuries and abnormalities can increase your risk of developing Morton’s neuroma, consult with your podiatrist to address known foot concerns such as bunions and hammertoes, flat feet, high arches, and overpronation. Your podiatrist can recommend custom orthotics or other treatment strategies to resolve these conditions and help prevent the development of neuromas.

Morton’s Neuroma: Treatment

The most common Morton’s neuroma treatments include:

  • Footwear changes: Switching to shoes with wide, deep toe boxes can take pressure off your affected nerve

  • Shoe pads: We can provide and help fit pads into your shoes to cushion the area around your nerve and relieve pressure.

  • Custom orthotics: Orthotics are shoe inserts that support your feet and keep your toes in the correct position

  • Pain relievers: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) reduce pain and swelling

  • Icing: Applying ice or cold packs to your affected foot can relieve pain and reduce inflammation

  • Corticosteroids: Corticosteroids are prescription medications that reduce inflammation. The Chiropodist may also suggest cortisone shots.

Bunions

Another common cause of foot pain or discomfort are bunions. A bunion is a bone deformity that develops when the big toe moves out of place towards the smaller toes. It is characterized by the enlargement of the metatarsophalangeal joint, the joint at the side of the base of the big toe. This enlargement causes friction and pressure as the protuberance rubs against footwear, often causing foot pain and discomfort.

There are two common bunion conditions. When the big toe angles in toward the smaller toes and overlaps a third toe, it’s known as hallux valgus. When the big toe moves toward the second toe and rotates or twists, it’s known as hallus abducto valgus. Both require treatment to prevent discomfort, pain, and further progression.

If you suffer from these symptoms, it’s important to visit a Chiropodist to properly diagnose your bunions and take action to prevent the condition from progressing. We can also help come up with a plan to manage and relieve the pain or discomfort caused by this condition.

Bunions: Causes and Prevention

Often, bunions are hereditary and caused by inherited structural defects of the foot. Despite using prevention methods, patients who have abnormal bone structure of the foot from birth may find that bunions are unavoidable. Furthermore, some neuromuscular problems can cause bunions as well.

Other common factors that cause bunions are:

  • Ill-fitting footwear

  • Arthritis or other joint conditions

  • Foot injuries

  • Flat feet, collapsed arches, or pronation

The best way to prevent bunions from forming and progressing is to wear properly-fitting footwear. Footwear that is too tight can cause misalignments in the foot and the development of bunions. It is also important to ensure your footwear offers enough arch support to prevent collapse or pronation (the foot rolling inward).

Additionally, custom orthotics are considered best practice at preventing bunions from progressing further or causing other foot conditions to develop. Collective Foot and Orthotic Clinic can create custom foot orthotics for you to prevent other problems from developing and ease the discomfort caused by bunions.

Bunions: Treatment

If left untreated, bunions can cause a variety of further problems. Calluses and corns, overlapping toes, hammer toes, claw toes, and more seriously, arthritis and difficulty walking, are just a few of the side effects of untreated bunions.

There are a number of bunion treatments depending on the severity of the case and needs of the patient. The most common treatments are:

  • Protective shoe padding

  • Orthopedic footwear

  • Custom foot orthotics

  • Splints for nighttime

  • Removal of corns and calluses

Using a variety of these treatments can help curb the progression or development of bunions.

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For more information about how to diagnose and treat Morton’s Neuroma and bunions, contact Collective Foot and Orthotic Clinic.

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