OT-Morton’s Nueroma

[Ken Robb]

do you have pain when you're not riding a bike?

[NickD]

I had them on both feet. From many years of too tight road shoes and collapsed secondary arches under the toes. Long hikes/climbs with mountaineering boots were the final straw. Both feet supinate (roll to the outside). Never had good footbeds. Consulted two podiatrists about 20 years ago and both said I needed surgery. I agreed to have the surgery on both feet and it fixed the problem along with wearing orthotics. It seems that every five years my custom orthotics need updating and likely will need surgery again on right foot--the worst one. Your feet change. Surgery painful, even with anesthesia, but no regrets. Yes, wide toe boxes on all footwear. Pretty much pain free since then.

I would recommend the surgery once all options have been exhausted. Should be numerous good podiatrists in the People's Republic. Good luck!

[cderalow]

Have it right foot. Fixed my pad and wide toe boxes. Still comes back when breaking in new shoes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wallymann]

started suffering with MN in ~2004 on left foot only. i manage it, but its an ongoing issue that affects my pedalstroke -- when i try to apply comparable left/right force, MN tends to re-surface so i dont really pedal fully 2-legged which sucks.

i've done intermittent cortisone injections. i am *not* keen to do surgery, but there's a "new" intermediate non-surgical option -- diluted alcohol injection. apparently this achieves the same net result as MN nerve surgery, but w/o cutting and potential structural damage to the foot.

• as other suggested use orthotics with good metatarsal support.
• i wear sidi ergos and went up +1 full size -- this gives my forefoot room to spread and allows thicker insoles for more cushioning. i actually stack 2 insoles and the lower insole i cut a hole to remove pressure being applied directly to the troublesome nerve. this hole ends up being just in front of the metatarsal pad.
• avoid any shoes with straps/cinches that put any "narrowing pressure" on the forefoot bones. the bottom strap on my sidi ergos would normally disqualify them, but i leave the lowermost cross-toe strap completely un-tensioned.

[fignon's barber]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Since this forum is way awesome!! Yup got it on RH foot, hurts like ya read about. DOC, very active, cyclist, says to see if it gets better..if it doesn’t, steroid shot... I have orthotics with a metatarsal lift but geez Louezzzz this farging thing hurts!! Gotta stop 3-4 times to let my foot ‘rest’.. feels ok then 30 minutes or so...ouch!!! It’s making me ride all goofy, new muscles hurt.
Help me obe wan you’re my only hope...

Ask your doctor about prescribing a compounded topical pain cream. Two ingredients that work well for neuropathic pain are gabapentin and ketamine. They are very safe when used topically.

[Tickdoc]

Sorry to hear this Peter.

I went thru a bad bout of this 2009ish and suffered for almost two years. Eventually went to a Podiatrist and had custom orthotics made. They helped day to day but I didn't like cycling in them. The key for me was a metatarsal pad or bump. Cycling wise I found stock Specialized inserts that had a nice metatarsal bump that worked well. For me, I attributed it to shoes that had a narrow last that ramped up on the sides (imagine a smiley face in cross section) were bad for me where shoes that were flat or humped in the middle (imagine a frowning face in cross section) were good for me. I have narrow feet which also makes it difficult to find good fitting shoes.

I eventually go over it but I would consider changing your everyday shoes, getting orthotics made, massage of the feet, and most definitely something with a metatarsal bump in it.

This last one may sound silly but Yoga and stretching helps tremendously, for me at least. I had a masseuse who would work the crap out of my feet and alleviate most of the swelling. Now my foot tendons are just stronger from stretching.

[mcteague]

I also have MN but of a slightly different sort. My symptoms are the sensation of having lumps, or small objects under foot whenever I stand up. When no pressure is on the soles they feel normal. I often described it as a numbness but that is not accurate.

I went to a podiatrist who diagnosed Morton's Neuroma. I sometimes have the sharp, localized pain but that is not frequent or long lasting. The "lump in the sock" sensation is ever present, on both feet. The doc started with custom orthotics, of course, and a series of cortisone shots. They hurt like hell and never seemed to help. After 3 months of shots and wearing the orthotics I was in worse shape. She said the next step was alcohol sclerosing injections to kill the nerves. I told her I thought we were not addressing the true underlying cause as the current treatments were making things worse. I wanted to just keep wearing the orthotics and see how things went. After six months I took the damn things out of my shoes. Now, I just live with the irritation. If it ever moves on to actual pain, I may pursue surgical options, but not now.

Tim

[Hellgate]

Tim - You symptoms are exactly like mine. My doc was straight up and said surgery is the only real option, or live with it.

Like yours, mine pain comes out of the blue and is staggering. I have couple pair of shoes that minimize the pain. Otherwise I just suck it.

I suspect I'll have the surgery in a couple of years.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

do you have pain when you're not riding a bike?

That's mainly when I DO have it, while walking..no pain just pushing at various places on ball of foot, but walking, pushing off..genuine pain. Less when riding, but gotta stop every 30-45 minutes, 5 minutes, then foot feels pretty good then hurts again. Making me pedal goofy and resulting strange soreness..

Altho Sidis I've used have been trouble free, this issue came on rather suddenly, like overnight. I'm thinking a shoe with a wider toe box, maybe my Sidis in 'mega' style..

[glepore]

I went to wide bonts, which have a big toe box. They help, but their sizing needs to be right and isn’t necessarily standard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[PSJoyce]

Years of too small cycling shoes caught up with me. I tried larger Sidis and just about every shoe on the market. Lake CX402 in the right size are working for me now. The heat molding does make a difference.

[mcteague]

Wider shoes do seem to be of benefit. My most comfortable shoes are just a pair of Teva sandals. The podiatrist said my forefoot was very flexible, side to side, and that caused irritation of the nerves over time. As others have mentioned, a metatarsal pad my help as well.

Tim

[Tickdoc]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Altho Sidis I've used have been trouble free, this issue came on rather suddenly, like overnight. I'm thinking a shoe with a wider toe box, maybe my Sidis in 'mega' style..

Lake....or custom.

[oldpotatoe]

How are Giro shoes..toe box wise??

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by djg21

Have Don Lamson make you shoes. He can make a very wide toe box and good custom insole. Don just set up his new shop outside of Tucson, in Green Valley, AZ. He is designing his new shoe models and will be building soon. https://lamsoncycling.com

Altho this is a PIT...Foot, $1000 cycling shoes isn't in the plan..yet...