I finally have figured out (actually a pt friend of mine figured it out) what’s wrong with my foot. It’s been sporatically killing me for around 2 months. I’ve got a morton’s neuroma between my 3rd and 4th toes on my right foot. Does anyone else deal with this? How do you recommend training with it? Everything I’ve read says to buy shoes with big toe boxes so your toes have plenty of room, for me that means blisters.
I also had a neuroma. I tried everything I could think of and nothing seemed to helped. It got to the point where I would run miles with my toes bent and crunched in my shoes trying to alleviate the pain. I ended up with 3 cortisone shots and eventually had it surgically removed so I have no feeling between those 2 toes now. I have since developed the same problem in the other foot but not nearly as bad. I am able to manage it with wider shoes and not lacing the bottom laces tight. It took some getting used to. I don’t like my foot moving around. I understand how you feel if each and every step of the way you have pain shooting around in your foot.
Yep. Got it. I lace my shoes special to deal with it. I run the lace up the side of the shoe for an eyelet instead of across near the toes to relieve pressure there. I look for shoes with a tight heel pocket to avoid blisters and I use both of the top eyelets to make it even snugger around the heel.
Go see a podiatrist.
I had weird pain in one of my toes for a few months. I thought it was from having broken my toe as a kid. Then, after making the mistake of running a half-marathon in very lightweight racing flats, I realized the pain happened when I pressed on the ball of my foot. I saw a podiatric surgeon who fit me for orthotics that provide a metatarsal lift. It takes the pressure off the nerve. Finding a good fitting shoe is good. A roomy toe box doesn’t have to mean blisters. What you don’t want is lateral compression that exacerbates the pressure from hitting the pavement.
I would guess that you should also be careful with your cycling shoes. Cycling shoes can often be narrow, which may compress your foot.
Also, I’m sure rroof will chime in soon with better advice (including, I imagine, making sure that that is what is really wrong).
What I’m curious about is whether changing from a heel strike to a more mid-foot strike would have caused my problem, or perhaps made it worse.
Yes, I have this condition. I thought for sure it was the end of my endurance racing. Boy, does it smart!
I saw an orthopedist, who confirmed the DX. He told me 90% of neuroma patients can have relief from using a metarsal pad. He recommended some pads that cost $80 and are available OTC. They took a few weeks to get used to but provided instant relief.
He also advised, if the pads don’t work, second choice is the cort shots, and then last resort would be the surgery. 5 years and several marathons/Ironman later…the pads are still working fine. I was sure with my luck I’d be in the unfortunate 10% that needs surgery, but if you take a little extra care, it can be managed pretty easy.
It is also important to remember to fuel evenly and effetcively. Believe it or not, my feet tell me I’m hungry before my tummy does. If you ar eon your way to depletion, the body cannot fight pain and if you have a hot spot you will feel it.
So…see your doc about this neuroma. You may get better news than you think.
Wife had it. Got orthodics. It’s gone. She’s happy now.
Yup - good info so far. First - confirm the diagnosis since lots of other things can cause similar complaints (i.e. need an X-ray/ultrasound, etc.). Second is always to figure out why you have it (if possible). Then, proceed with typical treatments (which is pretty “cookbook”). Most respond to conservative therapy (but I don’t think as high as the other poster related), and even the worse case scenarios (surgery, alcohol injections, etc.) aren’t too bad. Certainly not something you have to live with and certainly not something that will sideline your “career” much 
Good luck.
My advice is not to fool around with it and go to the podiatrist and get the orthotics if that is what is suggested.
I fooled around with diferent shoes, different over the counter orthotics and it got better but neverwent away until i got the custom orthotis with the neuroma pad in them.
Spet about $300 on the otc ortotics and different shoes.
I thought all the pain I was having was from my bunion. Had a bunion-eicdamy (spelling ?). Found out that wasn’t all that was wrong… Mortin Neuroma…I feel your pain !!! I’ve just delt with it for 2 years. …but I like the idea of the pads. I’m going to ask my doctor about that !
Rodney -
I have a few more questions about Morton’s, if you don’t mind:
Does it ever go away, or is it one of those conditions where once you’ve got it, you’ve got it? I’ve had really good success with the orthotics over the past 18 months, but I do occasionally feel it after a lot of running. I also feel it if I try a racing flat, and even felt it a little bit when I tried the Grid A for a few runs (without the orthotics).
As for causes, would switching from heel strike to midfoot strike cause it to develop? Does weight play a factor?
thanks!
I had it too. Go to a good podiatrist and try everything that the others suggest. I had mine removed years ago and have been pain free and happy (numb down there, but happy). BUT try everything else first. Surgery sgould be your last option.
Weight doesn’t really have any effect on Morton’s neuroma - if anything, I see it more in thin, active people. The etiology is purely mechanical irritation/impingement of the nerve up against the deep transverse intermetatarsal ligament between adjacent metatarsal heads (usually 3 and 4). However, the true pathologic diagnosis is “perineural fibrosis” (the report I get from the pathologist after he examines the nerve under a microscope that I send after surgery). Basically, the outer sheath of the nerve thickens/scars down and symptoms ensue. Now, nerves can heal like most other tissues, but not very well (as opposed to skin, muscle, even bone) - so yes, it can go away for good if you stop the continued mechanical irritation. However, this is not always possible or prudent in a reasonable length of time (say 18 months?), so more aggressive options are often entertained (ETOH injections, surgery, etc.) since they work well and cause very limited long term effects (certainly better than the pain from the neuroma in the first place).
And yes, a forefoot runner (especially forcing yourself to be one) would be more prone to this pathology.