Description
A neuroma is a tumor and can occur anywhere there is a nerve. The offended nerve is being pinched or impinged upon for a number of reasons. It is not uncommon for a tight shoe to result in an impinged nerve in the foot.
Aside from the toes, the most common neuroma is under a metatarsal head (bone) in the middle of the foot. It is also possible to develop a similar inflammation on the side of the big toe.
Morton's Neuroma
The interdigital nerve to the third and fourth toes is formed by a third digital branch of the medial plantar nerve and a connecting branch from the lateral plantar nerve. In 1876, Morton described a painful condition of the forefoot that he attributed to neuritis of this digital nerve.
The symptoms includ pain centered around the fourth metatarsophalangeal joint and in the third intermetatarsal space. Pain is exacerbated by weight bearing and in some cases is steadily progressive. Structural metatarsalgia is experienced almost exclusively during weight bearing and is relieved by rest.
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