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Common
Foot Conditions
NEUROMA
The term neuroma refers to a swelling of a nerve. The nerve
commonly affected is a small nerve that connects the 3rd and
4th toes, counting from the big toe. The patient will complain
of pain in the sole of the foot.
- Begins
with numbness or tenderness in the foot, just behind the 3rd
and 4th toes
- At a later
stage, pain, numbness, burning and tingling sensations can radiate
around the foot.
- The symptoms
may appear and disappear spontaneously.
- Severe
pain may be present at weight bearing.
- The patient
may experience spontaneous shooting pains, which is often referred
to as an "electric shock". This can affect patients
when are sleeping at night.
Causes
- The pulling
of the ligaments under the foot irritates the nerve.
- High heels
can damage the nerve.
- A tight
toe box will squeeze the toes in the foot and therefore put
pressure on the nerve.
- Mechanical
problems with the feet such as "over pronation". Over
pronation can be simply described as a condition, which causes
your arches to flatten out when you stand up. This causes your
ankles to roll in towards each other and disturbs your normal
walking pattern. If a foot over pronates the structures of the
foot are put under stress, which increases the likelihood of
a neuroma occurring.
Treatment
of Neuroma
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