Trapped foot nerve remedy

MORTON’S neuroma may not be life-threatening, but it can be painful – it’s often compared with standing on a pebble.

The foot pain, sometimes caused by years of wearing high heels, is caused by the nerve that lies between the metatarsals, the long bones in the feet, becoming trapped and then thickening.

There is no cure – and the first line of treatment, insoles in the shoes, is largely ineffective for most people, while steroid injections to reduce inflammation and pain give only temporary relief. But could chiropractic offer a new option?

Normally used to help with problems with the back, chiropractic traditionally focuses on manipulating the spine

When it’s used for Morton’s neuroma, it involves energetic tugging of the toes – the idea is that this will release any stiffness that might have caused the metatarsals to tighten and move towards each other, rubbing against the nerve.

Typically, symptoms include an ache that starts in the ball of the foot between the third and fourth toes. There may also be shooting pain up the affected toes that can become chronic.

Normally, first treatment tried is an orthotic insole. Steroid injections can reduce inflammation around the nerve, but there can be skin damage. After that, there is little choice other than surgery to remove the nerve. But in up to 30% of cases, surgery doesn’t work – and pain can return on the severed nerve end.

“I always start with the easiest things, but 20% of patients do not gain long-term relief from these so are willing to try surgery,” says Michael O’Neill of the College of Podiatry in the UK. – Daily Mail