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Confused after Morton’s Neuroma Surgery

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pnadella
pnadella

I had a surgery performed for Morton’s Neuroma four months ago. I was told by Doctor that I will be normal in couple of months. After four months, I still have pain and swelling. My Doctor doesn’t seem to have any ideas besides another MRI and possibly another surgery. Any suggestions regarding any thing I can try please.

2 likes, 101 replies

101 Replies

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  • margaret11268
    margaret11268 pnadella

    Posted

    I'm on a waiting list to have Mortons neuroma surgery. Am a bit concerned as my consultant always cuts from the ball of the foot rather than the top of the foot.  I've heard there can be more complications this way.  Can you tell me where your foot was cut?  Sorry you are still having pain.  If my foot wasn't so painful now I wouldn't bother with surgery as I keep reading of the post op problems.  Were you able to walk at all after your surgery or did you need crutches.  It would be helpful for me toknowwhat to expect.  Hope you improve soon.
    • pnadella
      pnadella margaret11268

      Posted

      Mine was done from the top. Bottom also makes sense since neuroma is closer to the bottom. However, I was told with the surgery from top one would be able to walk sooner. After surgery, I didn't use any crutches but had to limp for a month. All the best with your surgery.
    • dana11268
      dana11268 margaret11268

      Posted

      I had surgery for a Morton's Neuroma on my left foot in September. When I was finally able to start walking again with a shoe, I ended up with a Tailor's bunion on the same foot, and had to have surgery again in November for that. Now that I am able to walk on my left foot again, I have hammer toes and I'm starting to get a bunion on my big toe. Although I'm very frustrated with what has happened to my foot, that is not the reason for my reply. With my first surgery I had a knee scooter that I rented from a pharmacy that was covered by my insurance. I fell five times on the knee scooter. The first time was on the street and I tore up my knee and the last time was at church and I broke my finger. After all of that I did some research and found out that the only kind they rent are indoor scooters, and there is such a thing as an all terrain knee scooter. I purchased that on the Kneewalkershop.com, and I am short so I purchased an all terrain jr. Basically the tires are the same material as a bicycle, so it is meant to go on bumps on the sidewalk or rocks on the ground. I have not fallen at all on the All-Terrain knee scooter. I would highly recommend it to anyone having foot surgery!

  • starrynight
    starrynight pnadella

    Posted

    It is such a relief to read this and not feel so alone.  I'm in constant pain after 8 morton neuroma surgeries.   One foot has done well and is manageable - the other foot, I have nerve damage or something terrible.  Sharp shooting pains on ball of my foot and on my toes and I can't wear a sock at all - want to rip it off my foot which makes working or wearing anything, especially in the winter, impossible.  I'm 34 and I've spend the last 10 years having surgeries.   I wouldn't change that as each time the pain was so unbearable if I didn't have surgery, I would have cut the neuroma out myself.  They were so bad and then they all re-growed.   I'm going to look into the nerve pain pills you mentioned - no doctor seems to understand or take me seriously, yet this affects my whole 'life'.  It was so uncomfortable today I found myself looking at spinal electrical surgery which I read one patient with multiple nueroma surgery had and it provided her with some relief but there is no way i'm ready for something so unsure of the results. 

    I'm going to try acqupuncture and cryptotherapy but I don't hold out much hope for pain relief.  Going to ask about injections to calm the area down too.   I'm on anti-depressants as I can't do much.   I used to work in events but the hours on your feet and trying to look presentable when you can't wear anything but Uggs makes it impossible at the moment.   Sometimes I just want my toes gone so that the anxiety from putting socks/shoes on goes away - thouth that probably would just make it worse.

    It is just so nice to not feel so alone and that there are other people going through this.  I'm worried pnadella that you may have a stump neuroma - my aunt had morton's taken out and within three weeks knew it hadn't worked and the neuroma had grown back.  My stump neuromas took about a year to develop after each surgery.  I still chose to have a second surgery when they grew back as the pain was too much and constant clicking and it has worked well on one foot.   The neuroma isn't there - just residual nerve pain.

    • syl2016
      syl2016 starrynight

      Posted

       I had morton neuroma surgery. On both  feet. I can tell you the Pain now is worse then before I had the surgary,  I have not been abe to manage the pain. Dr say's  I have scar tissue. The pain is a Sharp shooting pain. on ball of my foot and on my toes and It hurts to wear a socks at all - If I could I would chop my feet off! It makes off my foot which makes working or wearing anything, especially when its going to rain i don't even think about winter, impossible.  I'm 56 and I've spent the last .I can tell you the pain was so unbearable the doctor doesn't seem to understand It was so 

      I'm going to try acqupuncture sad

    • Anniewhereugo
      Anniewhereugo syl2016

      Posted

      Have you talked to your primary care doc?  Ask for a referral to a Pain Management clinic and see if they can help.  There are meds like Topomax and Gabipentin that do help with nerve pain, though both those meds make me feel like jumping off a bridge or driving into oncoming traffic.  They may also be able to do a nerve block.  Don't give up.  I do know a friend who opted to have his leg amputated due to chronic knee pain, but he still has pain from the amputation.  It's so sad when they have drugs available to help people, but cave to public opinion that opiates are horrible and should not be given to anyone but the dying.  Good luck.

    • Wenepere
      Wenepere syl2016

      Posted

      Hi,  I just wrote a reply regarding my surgery and some tips/advice.  I had my surgery when I was 51 and now I am 55...wish I would have never had it done.  I too, had a bilateral surgery (both feet).  The one thing I did not mention in the previous reply that I am up against now, is during the "mortion's neuroma" surgery which I guess possibly can happen is the dislocation of the 2nd toe, which I recently found out about, by going to a different doctor and getting an x-rays.  I need to get this fixed because I have no control over my toe and it seizes up on me all the time.  But I will be going to a different doctor!!!  So I would highly recommend you checking around with other doctors to see if there is a problem that this doctor is not diagnosising you with?  But again, please read my previous reply... I am sorry about your surgery and pain, I feel for you.

  • Guest
    Guest pnadella

    Posted

    Has anyone had surgery and no neuroma found
    • margaret11268
      margaret11268 Guest

      Posted

      Hi pammyjean. I had surgery for mortons neuroma last New Year's eve and read on the discharge note which I was given that "no neuroma found".  I was very confused as wasn't told this on leaving hospital. It was only at my follow up appt. that I asked about this. Apparently, it was just a fibrous tissue that was found and removed. (I thought that was the same thing as morton's anyway). I'm now left with nerve pain in my toe and painful scar tissue. and my foot pain is worse. I've seen a different foot consultant who wants to do bunion surgery. He told me that it was MN that I had. I wonder if different consultants have their own opinions as to what MN really is. Presumably you've had surgery and this is your experience? I'm still confused. Let me know what they said to you.
    • Guest
      Guest margaret11268

      Posted

      Hi MARGARET I've not had surgery yet and am worried. The ultra sound didn't find anything but consultant said they are very difficult to find and all my symptoms are that its a neuroma he said for every 100 ops he's does only 2% have nothing there. I don't want to go through all that if its not a neuroma. I read on a neuroma site they are fibrous tissue
    • margaret11268
      margaret11268 Guest

      Posted

      Hi Pammyjean. If your ultrasound didn't find anything, what about having   an MRI scan for more detail?  My ultrasound showed up something which was thought to be a neuroma, but when he made the incision, he said he could only find a fatty fibrous tissue which he removed anyway.  That didn't turn out to be the cause of the pain which I know now as the pain is worse and there is pain at the site of the surgery along with nerve damage.   The main pain is caused by the bunion along with metatarsalgia and I'm still wondering whether to have surgery to correct all of that.  Could there be any other reason for your foot pain? Maybe it would be worth investigating further because if all the scans don't show anything, it seems a shame to go through uneccesary surgery and have the disappointment of no improvement. Your surgeon is the best to advise and I wish you well. Let me know what you decide to do.  I sympathise with your predicament,
    • Guest
      Guest margaret11268

      Posted

      It's difficult to know what to do as everything is pointing to a neuroma. I see the consultant again on 8th Dec I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks for taking time to reply
    • Guest
      Guest margaret11268

      Posted

      Hi MARGARET I had my surgery on 17th December and was told it was a large neuroma. My neuroma did not show up in my ultra sound scan but my surgeon said all my symptoms were of a neuroma and he was right. I had a acoustic neuroma removed 5 years ago and am still under the London hospital for facial palsy caused by my operation. I asked the surgeon if the two neuromas were connect and he said no.
  • andy84407
    andy84407 pnadella

    Posted

    You should consider ultrasound guided ablation procedure such as a cyroablation or a radiofrequency ablation. You may even want to consider a platelet rich plasma infustion. 

    Try to hold off having another surger as long as possible since the success rate on a Morton's neruoma redo surgery is low, but if you've exhausted all your other options you may need to consider it.

  • DRG13
    DRG13 pnadella

    Posted

    Hello everyone. Glad I found this discussion / forum. My name is Deborah. I'm 48 years old and live in Newcastle Upon Tyne. I had Morton Neuroma Surgery in my left foot in March 2014 at the Freeman Hospital here. Nearly two years later I am in more pain than than ever, and the worst type of pain. It now goes from my foot, up my leg into my bottox. Back and forth to see the consultant and surgeon various times, been fobbed off with pain relief tablets. I am now seeing a higher consultant / surgeon called Siddque for a second opinion on Monday (01/02/2016). Surgery was through top of my left foot. Had a cortisol injection few month later which seems to have made things worse, the feeling up my leg and bottox is like sciatica. Profession is mobile hairdressing so standing a lot and have been for many years, constant pain. Dragging me down. Very grumpy as not used to not being as active, no quality of life. Lying on bed most nights to get weight off and foot up. I am 7 stone so not like weight is an issue and always been a very active person which makes me more frustrated. Majority of my life is spent on my bed, not what a 48 year old should be wasting my life doing. Tried all medication and pain relief but did not agree with me and affected other issues like constipation. The whole predicament is making me depressed and highly frustrated. Hope to hear from some of you soon and hope I eventually found a solution.
    • ly41404
      ly41404 DRG13

      Posted

      Hello- so you too are having issues with the nerves.  I have told my doctor about this weird burning sensation on the side of my thigh since doing the neuroma surgery (between 3 and 4th digits).  I never had this issue before the surgery.  Every office visit after the sugery I have mentioned it.  I guess he does not make notes in my file.  I pushed him yesterday about the heated sharp pains on the side of my thigh.  The thigh in that area is tingly similiar to the toes/pad area of the foot after the surgery.  Moving certain ways or laying on it will trigger the sharp pains. This started after the surgery.  I got the deer in the headlight look.  He stated the neuroma sugery would not cause this. 

      Are there others out there that have experienced this?  I do believe it is the sciatic nerve.  I stretch, sometimes pushing my hip on that side and it zings my thigh.  That zing pain started while lying in the bed a day or two after the surgery. 

    • DRG13
      DRG13 ly41404

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply... Just nice to know there's someone else that understands this awful pain after op 2yrs ago...I am in horrendous pain morning till night...the doc at freeman tried cortisone injection on top of foot that has totally aggravated the pain not only under,on top foot but awful pain up leg and buttocks that was last July...can't take pain killers space me out.. Didn't help pain... So went to The Freeman Monday saw a lovely consultant..Mr Siddique he said to try a plaster cast will try anything if it helps... But no it had come off just the weight of plaster was putting more pressure on everywhere and sore's so had to take it off this evening.I have also been for the 1st time to pain-management..got try new tablet,anaesthetic patches then physio...So... Will let you's know how it goes?
    • pat63895
      pat63895 ly41404

      Posted

      Experienced same pain in thigh after MN surgery 9 months ago. Surgical outcome has been a disaster!  Surgery preformed thruough top of foot 3 rd web space. Resulted in golf size hematoma, DVT and CRPS like symptoms.

      All have pretty much resolved but am left with feeling that I am walking on large painful lump under ball of foot!  Wondering how you made out?

       

    • kristine31774
      kristine31774 pat63895

      Posted

      hi . did the painful lump in the bottom of foot go away? I am two weeks post op of MN between 3d and 4th toe. I have this uncomfy hard lump on the ball of foot . its causing me limp. was it diagnosed as hematoma? i thought its a scar tissue or the nerve still swollen. hope it goes or seem like I will regret this surgery

    • Lyndsey670
      Lyndsey670 kristine31774

      Posted

      not completly but did reduce massivly. It is scar tissue, my mistake was not de sensitising it. plently of massage, get a hard spiky ball and roll over it. sounds painful but its ok.

    • kristine31774
      kristine31774 Lyndsey670

      Posted

      thanks so much for reply. it has started to flatten up but is still quite spread across the ball of my foot, thanks for the advice I ordered one of those on amazon and been massaging with it on the floor. seeing my doc tomo and telling him about it. I still have a limp if I try to avoid it when I walk . and sometimes by pressing that sweelling I get a wave radiating on the tip of my 4th toe. very weird feeling. I am happy yours downsized a lot.

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