Tingling numb toes, or burning pain on the ball of your foot?

Do you sometimes feel as though you’re standing on a pebble in your shoe, have tingling or numbness in your toes, or a strong pain in the ball of your foot? Chances are, you may have Morton’s Neuroma – which is a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes (usually between the 3rd and 4th toes). This often causes a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot, leaving your toes often stinging or feeling numb.

Swelling of the foot nerves

It’s a painful condition that can be caused by frequently wearing high heeled- shoes, or participating in high impact activities like running, and other sports that put excess pressure on the feet in tight shoes like rock climbing, ballet, and snow skiing.  Those who have bunions, flat feet, or high arches are also more susceptible to Morton’s Neuroma. 

What are the treatment options?

• Put the Jimmy Choo shoes back in the wardrobe, and try wearing lower heeled or flat shoes for a while. Pick a shoe that has a wider toe base to ensure your feet aren’t cramped.
• Do some regular stretches and exercise the feet by rolling them over a tennis ball, spiky ball or a frozen water bottle
• A trip to the Podiatrist may be a good place to start to see if orthotics may help balance the pressure on your feet. You could also try over the counter gel foot pads from the chemist.
• You may need to cut back on high impact training while the pain subsides.
• For severe ongoing cases, see your GP, who may also recommend steroid injections into the area.

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, be sure to tell us when you’re next in the studio at Pilates, and we’ll give you some specific exercises to help relieve the pain and discomfort.

Further Reading:

The Foot Group Lane Cove

Sydney Orthopaedic Specialists