Morton's Neuroma

Diagnosis

Your doctor will suspect that you have a Morton's neuroma based on your description of the nature and location of your foot pain. He or she may ask questions about your shoes - the type of shoes you usually wear and whether these shoes have narrow toes or high heels. To rule out other causes of foot pain, your doctor may ask questions about your medical history, especially any history of arthritis, nerve and muscle problems, or previous injury to your foot or leg.

To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor will examine your feet. He or she will look for areas of tenderness swelling, calluses, numbness, muscle weakness and limited motion. To check for a Morton's neuroma, your doctor will squeeze the sides of your foot. Squeezing should compress the neuroma and trigger your typical pain. In some cases, your doctor will find numbness in the webbed area between the affected toes. Pain in two or more locations on one foot, such as between the second and third toes and between the third and fourth toes, is more likely to indicate that the toe joints are inflamed rather than a Morton' neuroma.

Once the physical examination is complete, your doctor usually can diagnose a Morton's neuroma without additional testing. A foot X-ray may be ordered to make sure that there isn't a stress fracture, but the actual neuroma will not be visible on standard X-rays. If the diagnosis is in doubt, your doctor may request magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the foot.

Expected Duration

A Morton's neuroma will not disappear on its own. Usually, the symptoms will come and go, depending on the type of shoe you wear and how much time you spend on your feet. Sometimes, the symptoms will go away completely.