Forefoot Pain
Neuroma Treatment in Clifton, NJ
That pebble-in-the-shoe feeling and the burning into your toes has a cause and a fix. We take the pressure off the nerve.
A neuroma, most commonly a Morton's neuroma, is an irritated, thickened nerve between the toes that turns every step into a pinch you cannot ignore.
It usually sits between the third and fourth toes, where the nerve gets compressed and inflamed. The result is ball-of-foot pain, burning that shoots into the toes, numbness, and the classic feeling of a pebble or a bunched-up sock underfoot. Many people find themselves stopping to slip the shoe off and rub the forefoot for relief.
The reason it keeps flaring is pressure. Narrow shoes, high-impact activity, and foot mechanics that crowd the forefoot all keep loading that nerve. Calming the flare matters, but so does unloading the nerve, which is where custom orthotics come in.
Does This Sound Familiar?
The signs we hear about most.
Ball-of-Foot Pain
A deep ache or sharp pain across the ball of the foot, worse in tight shoes.
Burning Into the Toes
A hot, burning sensation that shoots forward into the toes with each step.
A Pebble-in-the-Shoe Feeling
The sense that something is bunched up under the forefoot that you cannot shake out.
Numb or Tingling Toes
Numbness or pins and needles in the toes, easing when you take the shoe off.
Our Approach
Take the pressure off the nerve.
Because Dr. Lee is both a board-certified podiatrist and a chiropractor, a neuroma is treated with the nerve and the mechanics loading it in mind at once.
- Accurate diagnosis to confirm the neuroma and rule out other causes of forefoot pain
- Footwear changes to a wider toe box that stops crowding the nerve
- Metatarsal padding and custom orthotics to spread the bones and take pressure off the nerve
- Activity and load adjustments to ease the high-impact stress that keeps it inflamed
- A referral for injection or further care when conservative steps are not enough
Good Questions
Neuroma, answered.
What causes a neuroma?
A neuroma forms when a nerve between the toes gets pinched and irritated over time. Tight or narrow shoes, high heels, high-impact activity, and foot mechanics like a collapsing arch all crowd and compress that nerve until it thickens.
What does a neuroma feel like?
Most people describe ball-of-foot pain with burning or tingling into the toes, and the classic feeling of a pebble or a bunched-up sock underfoot. Slipping the shoe off and rubbing the forefoot often brings relief.
Do I need surgery for a neuroma?
Usually not. Most neuromas respond to conservative care first, such as roomier footwear, metatarsal padding, and custom orthotics that take pressure off the nerve. Surgery is considered only when those steps have been given a fair trial and have not helped.
Can orthotics help a neuroma?
Yes. Because Dr. Lee is a board-certified podiatrist, he can fit custom Footmaxx orthotics with metatarsal support that spreads the bones and unloads the irritated nerve, which is often the single most effective conservative step.
Clifton, NJ
Get the pebble out of your shoe.
Let’s find out what is really driving your forefoot pain, and take the pressure off the nerve for good.