Daily Mobility Exercises by Dr. Kelly Starrett › Forums › Foot/Ankle › Help please: morton’s neuroma › Re: Help please: morton’s neuroma

03/01/2016 at 7:12 pm #76316
AvatarAdam Neary
Participant
Ok, Here is what I’ve got so far:
Further research revealed that Morton’s Neuroma is both inflammation (lymph materials causing pressure) and a build up of scare tissue. (This link was very helpful: http://www.mortonsneuroma.com/mortons-neuroma-science/ As well as This one : http://www.mortonsneuroma.com/treatment-conservative-options-mortons-neuroma/) The the scare tissue is a response of the nerve to irritation rom pressure. Importantly, neither the size of the neuroma, nor the amount of scare tissue is correlated with pain and many people have these without knowing it. It is thought that the pain may be related to demylination of the nerve. So my treatment plan has three prongs:
  1. Help the Lymph system do it’s thing: Movement, picking things up with my toes, and inversions with leg and foot movement.
  2. Create space in the foot: Ball/bottle rolling, stretching, and massage aimed at spreading the foot.
  3. Remyelination of the nerve: Strength and conditioning studies have shown that high rep, low weight movements that mimic key variable, like angles, acceleration, speed, etc (read use the same nerve pathways) cause myelination of those pathways and increase strength by increasing the efficiency of the motor pathway. Under this theory, I’m pursueing the recommend toe strengthening PT (Though no rational is given for it’s effectiveness, I think it may be a combinatiuon of helping the lymph system of the foot, and this myelination effect.) I’m worried that the neuroma is so far down the foot that doesn’t inervate any muscle. I do have numbness in the inside of the 4th toe and outside of the 3rd toe, though I can still feel things. I’m hoping that spending time focusing on feeling from that region may similarly reinforce the myelination of that nerve.