With the holidays approaching, you’re probably excited to enjoy festivities with family and friends, indulge in tasty treats, and engage in winter outdoor activities. But distracting foot pain can make all of these things much harder. This is especially true with neuroma, a common condition that causes pain in the ball of your foot and can slow you down during the times you most want to be active — like the holiday season.
Fortunately, at the Foot & Ankle Clinic of MidFlorida, Dr. Paul Ebanks provides accurate diagnosis and effective treatment for neuroma. See our guide below to learn more about the condition’s causes, symptoms, and treatments.
A neuroma develops when a nerve under your toes becomes injured and inflamed. This is often caused by repeated pressure on the nerves between your toes or on the ball of your foot.
Possible sources of pressure include:
Over time, these forms of ongoing pressure can lead to the symptoms we recognize as a neuroma.
If you have a neuroma, it may feel like you’re walking with a rock in your shoe. You may also experience:
Symptoms of a neuroma can be debilitating. Walking and performing other movements with a neuroma can become extremely painful, affecting your quality of life.
Wearing shoes with heels or putting weight on the balls of your feet can exacerbate neuroma symptoms. Left untreated, a neuroma can lead to chronic foot pain and even nerve damage.
When your symptoms start causing daily discomfort, and you suspect a neuroma, getting evaluated by a specialist is important.
During your appointment, Dr. Ebanks discusses your history of pain and other symptoms with you. He also visually and manually examines your foot and orders imaging tests.
If he diagnoses you with a neuroma, treatment options may include:
Sometimes, conservative neuroma treatments are unsuccessful. In these cases, Dr. Ebanks may recommend either a surgical solution or a chemical treatment.
Chemical neurolysis is a treatment where Dr. Ebanks administers a series of ethanol injections directly into the problematic nerve to destroy it.
If he performs surgery for your neuroma, Dr. Ebanks removes the painful nerve. Other surgical approaches involve various ways to reduce the nerve compression that’s at the root of the problem.
Suffering with neuroma pain is no way to live — or to spend your holidays. Make sure your season is enjoyable by seeking expert, compassionate treatment from Dr. Ebanks.
Contact our Sebring office at 863-382-1570 to schedule an appointment or reach out to us through our website.
