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Morton's Neuroma
What is Morton's Neuroma?
Morton’s neuroma is one cause of metatarsalgia, which is pain at the ball of the foot. This is usually associated with a painful “burning” sensation and perhaps with pins and needles or tingling in the front of the foot. It is due to inflammation of the nerve as it sits between two bones in the front of the foot. This usually occurs between the 2nd, 3rd or 4th toes.
How is it diagnosed?
A doctor or specialist will assess your foot by feeling your foot, by reviewing X-rays taken of your foot and by listening to the history
you report about how it started. Sometimes an injection or ultrasound scan can be helpful to confirm the diagnosis.
What is involved with the operation?
After local anaesthetic, a small incision is made in top of your foot between the toes where the Morton’s neuroma is located.
An Orthopaedic Surgeon will perform the surgery. This is then closed with stitches.
Are there any risks associated with having the operation?
Possible complications of surgery include:
• Stiffness of the foot
• Bleeding from the incisions
• Delayed incision healing
• Infection
• Pain
• Swelling
• Blood clots- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or
pulmonary embolism (PE) is rare.
If you or your family have a history please let
us know.
• Need for further surgery
• Return of your symptoms or reoccurrence of
neuroma
What do I need to do before the operation?
It is a good idea to get things organised for your discharge from hospital. Below is a list of things it might be a good idea to organise:
• Help with household tasks
• Help with shopping
• Help with children, pets and relatives
• Someone to bring you to and from the
hospital
What can I expect after the operation?
You will have wool and crepe bandaging on your foot. You will be walking full weight bearing on your heel.
What happens after the discharge from hospital?
You will be walking slowly. You will need to see a Nurse at your GP practice for them to remove your bandaging and clean the
incisions. You will be making steady progress back towards normal day-to-day activity across 6 weeks.
What about pain?
The Nursing staff will ensure that you know what medications to take for pain when you get home.
Keeping your leg elevated helps to control the pain and minimise the risk of your incision becoming infected.
You will need to keep your leg elevated 50 minutes out of every hour for the first 2 weeks.
This prevents your incision from leaking and becoming infected.
When can I return to work?
Your own circumstances will determine when you feel ready to go back to work. If you have an officetype job and you can elevate your leg then you should be able to return to work within 7 days. If your job requires a lot of walking or is strenuous then you may need 2-3 weeks off work. Patients can selfcertificate their sick leave for 7 days. If you require a sick certificate please ask your GP.
When can I return to sports?
You will be able to return to normal sporting activity usually between 8-12 weeks after your operation, contact your GP for further advice
When can I return to driving?
You must be free of pain and able to perform an emergency stop. This will also depend on which foot was operated on (right or left). The NHS website advise you should not drive until you feel it is safe to do so, usually this will be up to 2 weeks after the procedure. If you are unsure, contact your GP for further advice and also check with your insurance company