Forums >Health and Nutrition>Morton's Neuroma
Anybody have Morton's Neuroma?
Anybody run with it?
My wife (who happens to run) has numbness in her feet for the past few months while wearing shoes. She gets the pain (numbness) wearing any type of shoe at any time (work / home / walking / running / ....). Once she takes the shoes off, the feeling comes back.
Finally, she went to the doctor, and they said she has "Morton's Neuroma". Since then, she's been injected with some "incredibly painful" shot that goes into the nerve to try to reduce swelling and [blah, blah, blah] (whatever other doctor lingo here). If not treated properly, apparently, the nerve will be permanently damaged.
At yesterday's visit, the doctor asked her to bring in her running shoes, and he didn't like what she wears while running. He guided her to Asics Kinsei ($185) or Asics Kayano ($150). I don't know why he guided her to those. All I know is that's quite a bit more that we normally pay for her running shoes.
Basically, I tuned in to her condition once I found out how much the shoes were. Dang!
The doctor insisted that when she runs, she wears these expensive shoes.
Any others know anything about this condition and whether the doctor gets kickbacks from ASICS (just kidding) or whether all of the warnings are real and should be taken seriously?
Thanks,
Brian
Life Goals:
#1: Do what I can do
#2: Enjoy life
I ignored pain on the bottom of my foot for a long while. Then it became pain on the top of my foot (first tingling, then pain when I ran, then pain all the time). My experience with the DPM was a little frustrating, in that he eventually “concluded” it was a neuroma, but couldn’t actually definitively tell me it was that versus a stress fracture/reaction. We also put off the cortisone shot for a long time, while trying together to figure out what it was (can’t give him all the blame, after all I’m the one describing the symptoms and giving the history). Treatment would have been same either way I reckon – lots of time healing (not running). I got better a lot faster after the shot though, which def points to the neuroma.
Anyway, to your shoe point. I am wearing the same shoes I wore before and after the injury – Kinvaras. For me it wasn’t the shoe that was the problem, it was me trying to deliberately mess with my foot strike and pounding the crap outta my forefoot. Since the injury I’ve let the foot fall where it wants to fall – no problems with increased volume so far. Achilles better, calves better, foot better (so far – I take nothing for granted anymore). And really, I don’t feel I’ve sacrificed any speed for not running with a deliberate forefoot strike. And my shoes are lasting longer (440 miles out of the last Kinvaras vs 320 or so out of the previous 2 before the injury).
This was all last sept / oct, all in the ‘ol log.
Don’t know if that helps, was just my experience.
Come all you no-hopers, you jokers and roguesWe're on the road to nowhere, let's find out where it goes
#artbydmcbride
If her feet go numb while wearing one set of shoes, and it doesn't happen with the new shoes....I'd say the doctor was on the right track. Otherwise, it does sound goofy to me.
Runners run
Why is it sideways?
This condition is common in folks whose shoes are too small. Funny question: does your wife have (relatively) big feet? [you don't have to answer] Does she buy smaller shoes to make her feet look smaller? It might not be the running shoes; it might be her work shoes.
Would something as simple as buying a half size larger shoe do the trick?
This condition is common in folks whose shoes are too small. Funny question: does your wife have (relatively) big feet? [you don't have to answer] Does she buy smaller shoes to make her feet look smaller? It might not be the running shoes; it might be her work shoes. Would something as simple as buying a half size larger shoe do the trick?
Women's size 9.
(I think that's normal size).
I don't think that it's the running shoes. Whatever shoes she wears (crocs, sandles, running shoes, work shoes, slippers, etc.) lead to the same numbing sensation.
I don't think that the shoe recommendation will solve the problem. I think that the shoe recommendation is supposed to prevent the problem after the problem is fixed through the cortisone shots and other stuff that's happening.
The doctor happened to be wearing 1 of the 2 shoes he recommended and described the difference. He took her shoe (without her foot in it, of course), and bent the shoe fore / aft, and the bend was able to occur at about the mid-foot section. It was between the ball of the foot and the arch. He said that is not good for her condition.
He then took his shoe off, and bent his shoe, and it bent at the toes only (imagine the location of the joint of the big toe).
And, I'm pretty sure that the doctor is a runner based on what my wife said.
Apparently, these expensive shoes that he's recommending have a plate in it that prevent it from bending further back on the shoe. And the bend isn't like the left/right rotation bend. It's purely fore/aft bend.
(As I said in my OP, my interest in her foot condition started last night when shopping on RunnersWarehouse.... I'm getting all of my information from a 5 minute dialogue that started with "holy crap, those are expensive".)
I had trouble with a (self diagnosed) Morton's Neuroma a couple of years ago when I started running longer distances. It never bothered me when I wasn't running - that must be very frustrating for your wife. I spent time rolling the bottom of my foot w/ a golf ball and I now lace my shoes halfway up the shoe. I don't lace the bottom 3 holes towards the toe - it keeps the shoe a little looser. And it hasn't been an issue for me. Again, mine was self diagnosed.......
Wish your wife luck for me.
I've had a lot of success with suggesting Lydiard lacing to people with Morton's Neuroma. Of course our website (www.lydiardfoundation.org) where we have a diagram is down at the moment (we are hoping to get it up this week). If you are interested, I can send it to you in a PDF form. Send me an e-mail at nobby415@msn.com
I've had it for several years now. There was a time about 4 years ago that I was limiting my mileage because the foot was getting irritated and the pain/tingling would persist even with shoes off. I looked into the surgeries and alcohol shots but I didn't like the side effects I was reading about so I went non-invasive. I got some toe stretchers and used them religiously for a couple of weeks. It took a while to get so I could tolerate the stretchers for more than a minute or so, but now I can wear them for a half hour. Once my toes got stretched the neuroma stopped bothering me almost completely. Now I only feel it on longer runs and when the barometer is dropping.
It's been nearly 2 years since I started this thread, and I've been asked to send out another request regarding this subject….
She still has numbness in her feet when she walks / runs.
Last week, she was given new orthotics, and is using them to walk / run / etc.
Does anybody wear doctor prescribed orthotics when they run?
The orthotics are rather large, and she has had to buy a couple pairs of new shoes (extra 1/2 size length, plus wider shoes) to fit the orthotics.
Any thoughts? DW asked me to reach out to all of you for your thoughts.
Heffa47, by the way, what is a "toe stretcher"?
Thanks in advance.
Resident Sk8r boi
Pro foot makes toe stretchers, but correctoes is the A standard of toe alignment fixers (profoot =8 bucks/ correctoes = 60-ish). I use profoot, but I am cheap, and they helped with my metatarsalgia/Morton's issue. Podiatrist couldn't definitively identify.
I did did not use prescription orthotics; my DPO advised OTC inserts like Sole or Superfeet would be fine. I found the greatest help from a metatarsal dome pad. It allows the pressure to be spread out and gives a bit of support. Google Pedag for a good example of met pads. Oh, and Altra shoes are the best thing ever for my feet. Wide/foot shaped, and well cushioned. They are zero drop, so there is that adjustment to consider.
I found the greatest help from a metatarsal dome pad. It allows the pressure to be spread out and gives a bit of support. Google Pedag for a good example of met pads.
+1
I also have a chronic metatarsalgia (3+ yrs). I spent over $1000 in various Rx orthotics that helped minimally and I didnt like for running. luckily, I've gotten to the point where I can run without orthotics, however I cant walk pain free if barefoot for more than 2 min, and have learned that I need to wear OTC orthotics in all of my casual shoes.
I've settled on a few cheap OTC items that I really I like: first, the Pedag Viva Mini orthotic ($20), its slim, has a small met pad and works well for me. I take out existing insole and can use in pretty much any shoe.
second, Powerstep Metatarsal pads. theyre cheap ($7) but you have to fuss with them to get them set right...once set though, they're awesome. I like these better for certain shoes, and yes, I have run with them a few times with no complaints.
finally, Birkenstocks rule...they have a small met lift in just the right spot for me (aside from having to bear jokes about listening to Phish and eating granola (both of which I do in fact enjoy))
Hope that helps.
I've had mortons neuroma for a few years. When I would start running it would be fine, after A few miles it would flare up (feels like I was stepping on a large rusty nail every time my foot would hit the ground). I would need to stop and loosen the shoe laces which would help for a few more miles but the burning numbness would come back.
First Dr wanted to do surgery right away, I said no way! Went to another DR who prescribed orthotics with neuroma pads, but didn't help and they were pretty awkward in running shoes. Finally after 1 1/2 years of seeing Dr's I admitted complete defeat and the second Dr removed what he called "a very large neuroma" from my foot. After surgery I wore a surgical boot for about 2 weeks and was good to go after that.
All said said and done I'm very happy that I had the surgery, and no regrets at all.
Latent Runner
Does anybody wear doctor prescribed orthotics when they run? The orthotics are rather large, and she has had to buy a couple pairs of new shoes (extra 1/2 size length, plus wider shoes) to fit the orthotics.
I have high arches and I've been prescribed orthotics not once but twice now; both times I tried them, suffered more than I was before I got them, and threw them in the trash. My new doctor has since suggested them and I gave him a flat "No!" as my answer. I'm not saying this is what your wife should do; that's just my experience.
The above said, I have found that, as a general rule, Asics shoes cause less numbness in my foot and toes than any other brand. Why? No freakin' clue.
Fat old man PRs:
This was the answer for me. Asics EEEE width. I'm guessing because it took away some of the compression happening between the 3rd and 4th toes where the numbness was. My doc had said surgery was a last resort. Eventually by ignoring the discomfort and always wearing shoes with a very wide forefoot it became a non-issue.
A somewhat related symptom would happen when I spent more than about 30 minutes on an elliptical. My left foot would begin to just go numb. The options were to stop, to ignore it, or to raise and lower my feet on the pads of the machine to simulate some impact. That would help, but it suggested to me that the running impact was therapeutic for this numbness. Now, even in narrower shoes it's no longer an issue at all.
I've been dealing with something similar (if not exactly M'sN) for 2months now.
My issue, instead of being between the 3rd and 4th metatarsal heads, is between the 1st and 2nd heads. Started when I began a wear-test for some Puma shoes that were just way too narrow for me. I wanted to give Puma a review so kept running in them even though from the moment I put them on I felt something 'odd' in my foot at that location. Took about 200 miles before I decided I'd messed something up and ditched the shoes.
I've gone back to my wide shoes (Altra Instinct and my old stand-by ASICS various models that all work for me) but have not been able to shake this thing. Went to the doc and he diagnosed 'capsulitis'. We both decided it was best to try to let it heal on it's own before going to a cortisone shot.
The pain really isn't that bad and doesn't seem to affect my running, unless I happen to step on a rock or something in exactly the right spot - then it's excruciating. I have been able to run and train at, for me anyway, a pretty high level.
I do get relef, if temporary, from icing (frozen water bottle) the ball of my foot and also wearing toe stretchers. The toe stretchers space out my toes from each other when I'm at home and barefoot. That does seem to help.
At the end of the year if it's not better I'm going back in for that shot.