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Morton's Neuroma Solutions
- Thread starter tomahawkins
- Start date
Good post , a condition I was only recently aware of and is more common than I imagined. Having had a cervical laminiscopy (5 screws) to ward off serious, permanent nerve damage among other things, I have a real appreciation for the brain/nerve ending “thing”. I try to avoid wearing shoes whenever possible, sitting, indoors at home. My wife’s (a professional woman in her 50’s,)feet have suffered from the footwear she chose to and was expected to wear. Some women’s shoes seem downright masochistic. She now wears Birkenstock’s whenever possible, ( my daughter as well although she thinks they are a recent inventionI just wanted to post my success with morton's neuroma in hopes that others find it useful. Morton's neuroma is the thickening of the tissue around nerves leading to the toes. It is caused by wearing shoes and boots with narrow, pointed toes, i.e. practically every piece of footwear on the planet -- thanks a lot, stupid fashion industry. I developed a neuroma in my left foot at the end of the '19 season due to lots of days in my boots. Thankfully it happend at the end of the season, but it did kill any hopes for backcountry skiing that spring.
Neuromas are debilitating. When I first experienced mine, the sensation was like someone was cutting off a toe with a pair of scissors. I was walking in my yard in a pair of flip-flops. At the time I fully expected to look down to see a rattlesnake attached to my foot. It progressively got worse over a series of weeks to the point where walking was difficult and hiking, jumping, or any sporting activity was out of the question. I tried skiing once afterward, but the pain was excruciating anytime I got near the backseat.
I know some have success with surgery. Fortunately mine tempered down after several months of wearing metatarsal pads all the time. The placement of the pad is critical. It has to sit just behind the ball of the foot. It is not an arch support. In fact arch supports like inserts, footbeds, Birkenstocks sandals, Chaco sandals, etc. were of no help, and if anything, made symptoms worse. Metatarsal pads feel a little weird at first, but you get used to them. I've tried lots of footbeds; the ones I've had far and away the best success with are these made by a company in Poland, which I now use in all my shoes and boots:
To give my toes maximum freedom, I minimize time in shoes and wear these Sandals by Spenco:
Men's Sandals
www.spencofootwear.com
I find that the metatarsal support is needed nearly all the time. I even avoid walking barefoot for extended periods as that will bring back symptoms. But thankfully, that is all I've needed. Since I developed the neuroma, I've had two rocking ski seasons with no issues.
Perhaps metatarsal support is good prevention of neuromas? I only have the neuroma in my left foot, but I equally wear the pads on my right, which has remained perfectly happy. It might be something to consider...
Some shoe companies are moving away from pointed toes and are starting to sell natural foot shape shoes: Altra and others. Ski boot manufactures have been slow on the pickup, but it is encouraging that most are now talking about more room for toes and that narrow toe boxes doesn't lead to better performance. I had good luck this past season in a pair of K2 Recon 130 MVs and am looking forward to trying on new 2022 boots that are explicitly calling out redesigned toe boxes, Head Formula being one. (Others?)
. ) Anyone remember Kalso “ earth shoes?
Wait. So this feeling of pain/numbness in my third and fourth toes, and occasional feeling of socks bunched up between the toes and the ball of my foot is a Thing? And it has a name?
It happens mostly in ski boots but I returned some Hokas recently because it was happening in them. I stick to Altra sneakers and Keen boots and sandals!
I’m going to get myself to a podiatrist. Wow. Thank you, Skitalk!
It happens mostly in ski boots but I returned some Hokas recently because it was happening in them. I stick to Altra sneakers and Keen boots and sandals!
I’m going to get myself to a podiatrist. Wow. Thank you, Skitalk!
I stumbled on this thread and thought it sounded familiar. Several years back one of the boot manufacturers and I think it was Dolomite made their foot bed with a metatarsal support. The first time I tried it on it felt strange but after I had it on for a while it felt good. But that was back when manufacturers made decent foot beds. I also purchased a pair of the Altra shoes recently, they look ugly but feel good. They look like an orthopedic shoe with the squared off toe.I just wanted to post my success with morton's neuroma in hopes that others find it useful. Morton's neuroma is the thickening of the tissue around nerves leading to the toes. It is caused by wearing shoes and boots with narrow, pointed toes, i.e. practically every piece of footwear on the planet -- thanks a lot, stupid fashion industry. I developed a neuroma in my left foot at the end of the '19 season due to lots of days in my boots. Thankfully it happend at the end of the season, but it did kill any hopes for backcountry skiing that spring.
Neuromas are debilitating. When I first experienced mine, the sensation was like someone was cutting off a toe with a pair of scissors. I was walking in my yard in a pair of flip-flops. At the time I fully expected to look down to see a rattlesnake attached to my foot. It progressively got worse over a series of weeks to the point where walking was difficult and hiking, jumping, or any sporting activity was out of the question. I tried skiing once afterward, but the pain was excruciating anytime I got near the backseat.
I know some have success with surgery. Fortunately mine tempered down after several months of wearing metatarsal pads all the time. The placement of the pad is critical. It has to sit just behind the ball of the foot. It is not an arch support. In fact arch supports like inserts, footbeds, Birkenstocks sandals, Chaco sandals, etc. were of no help, and if anything, made symptoms worse. Metatarsal pads feel a little weird at first, but you get used to them. I've tried lots of footbeds; the ones I've had far and away the best success with are these made by a company in Poland, which I now use in all my shoes and boots:
To give my toes maximum freedom, I minimize time in sizes and wear these Sandals by Spenco:
Men's Sandals
I find that the metatarsal support is needed nearly all the time. I even avoid walking barefoot for extended periods as that will bring back symptoms. But thankfully, that is all I've needed. Since I developed the neuroma, I've had two rocking ski seasons with no issues.
Perhaps metatarsal support is good prevention of neuromas? I only have the neuroma in my left foot, but I equally wear the pads on my right, which has remained perfectly happy. It might be something to consider...
Some shoe companies are moving away from pointed toes and are starting to sell natural foot shape shoes: Altra and others. Ski boot manufactures have been slow on the pickup, but it is encouraging that most are now talking about more room for toes and that narrow toe boxes doesn't lead to better performance. I had good luck this past season in a pair of K2 Recon 130 MVs and am looking forward to trying on new 2022 boots that are explicitly calling out redesigned toe boxes, Head Formula being one. (Others?)
I don't believe I have this problem with my feet but I have had wide feet all my life. I may have said this in another thread but my wife says all my shoes look alike, very wide width and rounded toe. The athletic shoes I use are New Balance because I can purchase them in 10 EEEE width. Your statement about shoe fashion industry hit home because I have so much difficulty purchasing a dress shoe. Casual shoes are not as bad but a dress shoe just forget about it.
I think, at a certain point, we don’t care if our shoes look Orthopaedic if they are comfortable. I’m not there yet but I can see flying the white flag of surrender at some point.
I generally prefer simple looking shoes or what my teenage daughter calls “dad” shoes. A EEEE dress shoe is a tough thing indeed. As extravagant as it may sound, you might consider getting a pair made for you if you really need them. It’s not cheap but it’s not more expensive than ski boots in many cases. Good shoes can be re-soled multiple times so get yourself to the nearest cobbler
I have come to think that my Altras are beautiful! Mine are a wider model (Escalante) than pictured above. Also love my Keen winter boots, hiking boots, hiking shoes, and sandals. My feet are happy and it seems to give me a sunny attitude.
My issue is bunions, not neuromas. But this link is a good place to start if you want to work on your feet.
Petra Fisher's free Fix Your Feet bootcamp
Petra Fisher's free Fix Your Feet bootcamp
Anyone have any issues after going the surgical route? I can't take the pain anymore,
Not gone the surgical route.
For me it's not a problem during the day. Can always do foot exercises, that walking gait or wear shoes with a met pad. But being dragged out of sleep with that pain in the foot is a pita.
So did the cortisone injection after some discussion with doc and pod. (It's the only cort shot I've ever had so was worth a try.) That worked - for about 6-8 weeks. Back to hobbling around for a few steps whilst trying not to wake up too much....
Not gone the surgical route.
For me it's not a problem during the day. Can always do foot exercises, that walking gait or wear shoes with a met pad. But being dragged out of sleep with that pain in the foot is a pita.
So did the cortisone injection after some discussion with doc and pod. (It's the only cort shot I've ever had so was worth a try.) That worked - for about 6-8 weeks. Back to hobbling around for a few steps whilst trying not to wake up too much....
That's a bummer. I've dealt with this in both feet on and off over the last 15 years. Cortisone shots in combination with met pads did the trick for me without needing to go the surgical route. I've been pain free now for about 3 years. One of the main reasons I switched to Sidas footbeds many years ago was their attention to the met support to "lift and spread".
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2017
- Posts
- 138
Now that the season is done, I wanted to let people know that these neuroma pads worked well for me.
Both seasons were a similar number of days ~35, and there were no other changes to my boots between seasons.
It's a sample of 1, but I wanted to share for those who suffer from Morton's neuromas
- 2021 season: I had no neuroma pads in my boots, and at the end of the season, my toes on both sides were burning and tingling for many weeks after the last day of skiing.
- 2022 season: I used these neuroma pads, and now at the end of the season my toes feel quite fine, with no burning, and no tingling. I can tell the neuromas are there, but I have no pain to speak of.
Both seasons were a similar number of days ~35, and there were no other changes to my boots between seasons.
It's a sample of 1, but I wanted to share for those who suffer from Morton's neuromas
Thanks for reporting back. Such posts are so valuable.
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- Dec 2, 2015
- Posts
- 24,967
Did you widen the boot to give more room?
Without, it only gets worse. Consider you street footwear too.
I got the big warning from a friend when I mentioned I could feel it starting in one foot. He basically has his own boot shop, and shoe stretching setup due to his wife’s issues with neuroma.
Started out from hiking, but she said nothing and lived with it for too long. Then it was too late.
She’s had two surgeries, not so successful. It’s at the level of choosing proper socks to manage it.
Just want to chime in as a former chronic Morton's Neuroma sufferer. I haven't had this problem since:
- Like others in this thread, changing all my shoes to Altra. Note that Altra now has 3 widths: narrow, medium, wide. Best to avoid narrow width models if you have wide foot. https://www.altrarunning.com/who-we-are/footshape.html
- Practice splaying your toes all the time while walking, exercising, standing until it becomes second nature.
With ski boots, I went with wide model and splayed my toes during boot and liner heating process while simulating carving stance in the ski shop:
Yes people were looking at me weird like I would really be carving that low, hips to the ground, when I go skiing.
But I believe just standing around during the boot fitting won't mould the liner and boots to their widest possible width when you're up in the mountain.
I wanted my boots to be broken in on the first day of skiing to prevent nerve pinching issues. Splaying the toes and pushing the boot liners to the outside/inside of the boot, alternating between left and right, during the 15 minute heating and cooling process in the ski shop will ensure your boots are properly broken in immediately on your first day of skiing.
- Like others in this thread, changing all my shoes to Altra. Note that Altra now has 3 widths: narrow, medium, wide. Best to avoid narrow width models if you have wide foot. https://www.altrarunning.com/who-we-are/footshape.html
- Practice splaying your toes all the time while walking, exercising, standing until it becomes second nature.
With ski boots, I went with wide model and splayed my toes during boot and liner heating process while simulating carving stance in the ski shop:
Yes people were looking at me weird like I would really be carving that low, hips to the ground, when I go skiing.
But I believe just standing around during the boot fitting won't mould the liner and boots to their widest possible width when you're up in the mountain.
I wanted my boots to be broken in on the first day of skiing to prevent nerve pinching issues. Splaying the toes and pushing the boot liners to the outside/inside of the boot, alternating between left and right, during the 15 minute heating and cooling process in the ski shop will ensure your boots are properly broken in immediately on your first day of skiing.
Last edited:
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- Dec 2, 2015
- Posts
- 24,967
What boot?
Do you go barefoot at home?
Salomon SPro HV 120.
Yes I'm barefoot at home, which is another game changer as far as Morton's prevention.
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2017
- Posts
- 138
My boots (Tecnica Mach 1 130 HV) are about 3 years old and I had punches on the sides so that there was no pressure or pain on the sides of my foot, but I still had pretty uncomfortable toe flareups by the end of the 2021 season. The neuromas predated these boots. This season my podiatrist added met pads under the cover of the Sidas insoles so I didn't have to mess around with the sticky pads falling off in a moist boot. The difference this season was huge with no toe flareups and no additional punches needed. I can stay buckled in my boots the whole day.
Well, after another day of excruciating burning pain on the bottom of my feet I finally decided to look it up and it sounds like neuromas. I have a boot fit appointment next weekend and will get in with a podiatrist after my dad’s visit but until then I’ve ordered the pads recommended here and I started the fix your feet series. Thanks everyone for all the info here, it gives me some direction on what to do.
Stay away from cortisone shots. They weaken the ligaments and you could have worse long term issues, like rapturing one.
Surgery has maybe 50 percent success rate.
Mostly, Morton's is caused by mechanical problems so the solution is to prevent these. Mostly the foot being squeezed laterally.
The exercise I find most helpful is to stand with feet slightly narrower than hip width apart, one foot slightly in front so the heel of that foot is adjacent (or a couple of cm in front) of the big toe of the other foot, then raise the toes of that front foot as far as possible towards the shin and roll that foot a little so the pressure on the foot sole is towards the outside of the heel. Put more weight on that foot to increase the intensity of the exercise. Lift those toes back towards the shin harder, especially the big toe. Hold 45-60 seconds. Same other foot. Repeat. Done. Best done in bare feet but can do in suitable shoes whenever you have a few minutes.
Has the advantage that it will develop your TA as well as helping spread the toes.
Bought new boots last Oz season. Metatarsal pad on the footbeds - fitter put some slick tape over the top of the pad to help getting the boot on/off. Still some pain by days end so fitter bulged the shell a little on the sides of the 1st and 5th metatarsal for more lateral toe space. Good enough.
Have those meta pads in the left foot of every item of footwear I wear.
