Neuroma Surgery in NYC · Foot Doctor, Specialist in Midtown Manhattan NY

Neuroma Surgery

If you have burning pain or numbness in the ball area of your foot, you may be suffering from Morton’s neuroma or a different type of neuroma. A Neuroma is a condition where the nerves in your forefoot form a large ball of scared nerve tissue causing pain and discomfort. In severe cases, neuroma surgery may be recommended to remove the affected nerve and surrounding scar tissue.

Neuroma Symptoms

When you are suffering from a neuroma, you will feel pain or numbness on the bottom of your foot and sometimes in your toes. A Morton’s Neuroma is a neuroma located between your 3^rd and 4^th metatarsals, and this is the most common spot for this pathology to occur. Typical complaints include the feeling of walking on a pebble or stone or the feeling that your sock is rolled up under your toes. You also may experience severe pain when you wear tight or narrow shoes or when you walk barefoot.

Visit an NYC foot doctor if you are experiencing pain in the ball of your foot. After a thorough examination and definitive diagnosis, your Midtown NYC podiatrist can tell you if surgery is an option. All symptoms, potential procedural and plantar fasciitis treatment options should always be discussed with a physician after a thorough consultation and examination for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

Neuroma Causes

A number of different factors cause neuromas, but poorly fitting shoes are the most common cause. Excess pressure on your toes, narrow shoes like cleats or high heels, and repetition of activity with pressure demands on the ball of the foot are also causes of the neuroma. Other conditions linked to neuroma include:

• Hammer toes
• Bunions
• Calf muscle issues
• Excessive elasticity of ligaments

Other causes include a thinning of the fat pad that covers the ball of your foot, causing increased pressure on the nerves. Tightly fitting shoes, such as high heels and pointy-toed shoes, can all exacerbate the pain by squeezing the bones in your forefoot together, further irritating the ball of nerve tissue wedged between the metatarsals.

If you think you might have a neuroma, make an appointment with the best Midtown podiatrist. A podiatric doctor or a foot specialist will make a definitive diagnosis and provide you with treatment options.

When to See Your Midtown Podiatrist

Visit your foot doctor or podiatric specialist in NYC if the ball of your foot becomes painful.  If you find it painful to wear shoes, make an appointment to see your podiatrist in midtown to get relief. If you notice swelling in the ball area of your foot, see if icing your foot helps. If you’ve developed calluses or corns, you can find home-care treatments. But if home care doesn’t work or you have other, unexplained pain in the ball of one or both feet, these may be indicators to see a foot doctor. Your podiatrist can recommend a wider range of treatment options if you catch in early in the growth cycle.

Treatments for Neuroma

Your podiatric doctor at Podiatry in Midtown considers many factors like your general health, foot type, your symptoms, and the severity of your neuroma to determine the course of treatment. There are non-surgical treatments for neuroma, as well as surgical procedures. Most conservative treatments are directed at eliminating or decreasing your pain and symptoms. For example:

• Custom Orthotics with Neuroma pad
• Wearing proper-fitting shoes with good support
• Modifying your activities to reduce stress on the ball of your feet
• Wearing wide shoes that give your toes more room
• Wearing shoes with an additional cushion
• Losing weight to reduce pressure on balls of the feet

Your foot doctor may recommend or prescribe non-surgical treatments such as:

• Oral anti-inflammatory medication
• Cortisone injections
• Protective pads to prevent irritation from friction
• Sclerosing injections, an alcohol injection that limits the nerve’s ability to detect and communicate pain

Surgery for Neuroma

Neuroma surgery is performed while you are under anesthesia. Your Midtown Manhattan podiatrist or surgeon makes a small incision on the top of your foot and carefully removes the nerve. This procedure involves surgically releasing the ligament that holds the nerve and/or removing the affected nerve.

Neuroma Surgery Risk Factors

When you discuss surgical options with your foot doctor, they will explain all the risks associated with the neuroma surgery procedure. There are risks and complications from any surgery and the use of anesthesia. The most common neuroma surgery risks include:

• Numbness
• Pain, either permanent or temporary
• Infection
• Hematoma or temporary bruising
• Swelling
• Blood clots
• Bleeding
• Poor healing of the surgical site
• Nerve injury
• Recurrence of neuroma
• A toe deformity, like hammertoe
• Scars
• Foot weakness
• A need for additional surgery

Recovery from Neuroma Surgery

Neuroma surgery is usually an outpatient procedure, meaning you can return home the same day. You will need someone to accompany you home following your surgery. Consult your NYC foot doctor for your specific recovery instructions. Generally, recovery from neuroma surgery is relatively quick. You’re able to walk on your affected foot using a post-surgical shoe immediately following surgery.

Once the sutures are out, you can generally start transitioning into a normal sneaker. You can return to normal shoes after three to six weeks. Healing may be prolonged by smoking, age, poor nutrition, or other medical problems. All symptoms, potential procedural and plantar fasciitis treatment options should always be discussed with a physician after a thorough consultation and examination for an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

Do you have any questions about the Neuroma Surgery procedure in NYC? Would you like to schedule an appointment with an internationally recognized, top NYC Podiatrist and foot doctor at Manhattan Foot Specialists?  Please contact our office for a consultation.