Foot Neuroma Treatment

When you develop a benign growth along one of your nerves, you're suffering from a condition known as a neuroma. The most common location of development is on the foot. Often referred to as Morton's neuroma, the condition is characterized by a great deal of pain on the underside of your foot as well as the ball of the affected foot. The condition is usually caused by some sort of injury to the nerve ending, prompting the formation of the growth. As this condition develops, it makes it difficult to get around, so treatment is necessary to remedy the neuroma.

Self-Care

• As with almost any condition, your doctor will recommend the most conservative approach to care before trying an aggressive form of treatment, so self-care is often the first line of defense. Periodically resting your foot can often allow the inflammation of the growth to subside and thereby reduce pain, but you may also want to consider taking an over-the-counter medication, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Ibuprofen is one of the more common, but you may instead want to use naproxen or aspirin to help reduce the swelling and thereby relieve your pain.

  To further improve your condition, consider changing your footwear to that with a wider toe and lower (or no) heel as well as investing in arch supports. Arch supports distribute weight more appropriately across your soles, eliminating the pressure on the ball of your foot. If the pain still persists, ice the area for about 15 minutes at a time.

Professional Care

• When self-care and nonprescription medications fail to provide results, the next mode of treatment may be corticosteroid drugs. Usually given in the form of an injection, this classification of medicines works similarly to that of NSAIDs: They help reduce the inflammation of the nerve, reducing discomfort and pain.

  Besides corticosteroids, your doctor may recommend another form of injection. This one uses a diluted solution of alcohol that can shrink the neuroma affecting your foot, which then eliminates the presence of pain. But not all medical professionals use this form of treatment, so talk to your doctor about this alternative neuroma remedy.

  In some situations--typically if all other treatments failed--you may need surgery to have the neuroma removed from your foot. This can lead to lack of sensation within one or more of your toes.