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I've yet to go to a doctor, but have been researching what the cause of the pain in my toes is after wearing my boots for a while. The boots (leather Danner's that I've had for a while and my ski boots) feel fine on my feet, but after they have been on a while my smaller toes can have incredibley sharp pain in them and I have to remove the boot to eliminate the pain.
Google can be a wonderful thing and after some research, I'd bet money that a doc would diagnose my issue as Morton's Neuroma. The symptoms are exactly what I have and they occur in the same fashion.
I never have this issue with tennis shoes or a lighter more flexible boot. I've been using these Danner boots for quite some time and this didn't start happening until a couple years ago. It is only after they have been on a while, but I had them on a couple days ago and noticed it within an hour of walking around with them on. I never noticed them being tight enough in the front to squeeze on the metatarsal area, so I bought some Sofsol insoles that are supposed to provide more support in that area and relieve some of the pressure.
I'll have them on tomorrow with the insoles. If that doesn't work I guess I'm going to have to finally visit the doc and possibly look into a wider boot or at least something with a little more stretch.
Anyone had to deal with this before.
I wore D width shoes all my life. Never had a bit of problem until I started wearing steel toes on the job. Pressure on the little toe was not comfortable at all. Finally, I decided to try EE width. Problem solved!
I have had it for years. It will go away for awhile, but then return when I begin to up my milage for running marathons. Cortizone shots will help temporarily, but is not a long term solution. i have had so many, they don't take effect any more.
One solution that has worked is a small teardrop shaped pad I place on the front part of my orthotics. Somehow it relieves the pressure.
Surgery is my next step. I am trying to avoid this, but my podiatrist (a runner who has had the surgery himself) says that its not that big of a deal.
You should visit a podiatrist as this will never go away once you have it.
I had a Morton's Neuroma removed from right foot when I was 23. It got worse when I wore hunting boots in cold weather. When it got so bad that it started running up the nerve in my leg I went to the doctor. The doctor said it was the largest one he had ever seen in a young person. I have had symptoms in my left foot and went and had it injected and it went away. It was no where near as bad as my right foot got. The bottom line is go to a Podiatrist soon.
Haven't had a Morton's neuroma, but Ive had a Joplin's (different part of the foot). Id say try simple things first: 1. Confirm the diagnosis with a doc 2. Change boots and try the padding Angelfire is using, maybe get an steroid injection at the same time to calm things down and give your changes a better chance to work (this was all it took to fix me up)
If that doesn't work maybe its time to try and sclerose (basically deaden) that nerve; done with alcohol injections
Only after trying all that stuff, and failing, would I go looking for surgery
Hope all works out for you and that you're able to get after them this fall without pain
I feel your pain brother! I had it so bad on my left foot I would be limping before I got to the truck in the morning! I suffered way to long before I went to the doctor. I had several injection treatment that only hurt like hell when they stuck that needle in the top of my foot. Finally had surgery and all it did was move the pain back about an inch! After about 3 months I had another day surgery this time when the put me under. That one moved the pain a bit further!!! I started wearing insoles with a metatarsal pad. They helped but the problem there was they sold them in pairs so I had to wear both of them and it was a pain on the good foot!!! After about four years I read about a treatment for it where they use RF energy so I had it done and it helped about 80%. I think I need to have one more treatment and i will be good to go. I just wish I would have known about it before the two surgeries because now the inside of two of my toes are always numb. See if you can find someone in your area that oes the RF treatment and get it taken care of, sooner the better. Good luck!
Morton's neuroma is a thickening of nerve tissue between the toes. It commonly affects the nerve that travels between the third and fourth toes. Padding, insoles, and/or different boots may be good options.
Here is a great website about morton's neuroma: https://health.google.com/health/ref/Morton's+neuroma
I've been plagued by this problem the past couple years. My 2nd toe (next to big toe) is quite a bit longer than my big toe (called Mortons toe) which may be part of my problem. I stand for work all day and the balls of my feet are on fire by the end of the day. Mine has gotten to the point the pain never goes away. I've tried a number of things....icing, padding, etc but can't seem to get rid of the pain.
Icing has helped but is temperary (probably similar to shots). Padding the ball of my feet seem to help more than anything. On an AK trip last year I actually taped a pad over the ball of my feet and that helped a lot. The pad likely took some of the pressure off my Morton's toe plus added padding to the inflamed area. I actually tried 4 different boots before I found a pair plus insoles that worked. I hiked on rock all day long and had excellent pair of boots with padded insoles plus the taped patch and this worked very well for me.
One thing you should likely do is throw the insoles that come with your boots in the garbage! It may be trial and error finding an insole that works for your particular feet. There were rave reviews for orange superfeet and I tried them but they were too hard with little padding in the ball area of my feet. The more padding in the ball area of the insoles the better for me. It may be trial and error but stick with it and you'll likely figure out what works. A pediatrist would likely have other options...and that is what I would do if I could afford it!
It sounds like lighter, flexible boots or tennis shoes work well for you. You may want to use them to hunt in? I've used these for years and they are actually my preference! They are lighter weight and I can stalk a lot quieter! The only time I really like heftier boots is if I'm in shale, rock, or deep snow. There are a boat load of light hikers with gortex and pretty decent padding. Good luck!
I wore the boots yesterday all day with the new inserts and I believe the helped some, but not enough. I've had these boots for a while and they used to be comfortable. My left foot always feels great, but my right foot........another story.
After I removed the boots last night I could notice more spacing between my toes on my right foot, especially the 3rd and 4th toe.
I've been taking more notice and the right boot is considerably tighter than the left. I don't know if as I've aged my right foot has changed or if I'm now old enough that I'm just starting to have pain from years of overlooking it. Regardless, my right boot is too tight in the toe area and its causing issues. I believe my ski boots can have adjustments made by a professional fitter, but there is no adjustments for the leather hunting boots.
Considering I've never had this issue with a more flexible boot or tennis shoe, I believe I'll be looking for a new pair of boots soon. I don't want to go with another solid leather boot that is just wider, because then my foot moves around too much and ends up with blisters. The only thing I don't like about the softer style boot is my feet always end up wet in the early morning, and they wear out quickly.
Get some custom orthodics asap.
I had surgery for a Morton's neuroma 15 yrs ago. I'm glad I had it done but still have a little twinge at times. The problem is aggravated and maybe caused by shoes which are tight through the ball of the foot. I still feel better in wide shoes. Yes, wider shoes can cause slippage in the heel and resultant blisters, but if you have a Morton's you will find that anything you do to avoid crowding ball of foot is worth it. Smartwool or Thorlo socks over liner socks and use of moleskin on heels are what helps me tolerate the wider shoes. And as others have said, I would see a podiatrist. Good luck.
I have a lot less pain when walking, I have a painful Morton's Neuroma, and these sneakers have made a significant difference in reducing that pain. and orthofeet shoes are comfortable! My feet may need a specialist, but I am happy with this purchase. I wear these to walk the dogs, exercise, or anytime nights and weekends. They look great and feel even better.
Interesting thread. Last year I had some pain in the balls and arch of my feet but I attributed that to the extra weight I'm carrying. I haven't had any problems lately. I wear size 14 EEE shoes and the toes are ok. Sometimes they get cold and numb but I believe that is attributed to circulatory and nerve damage from chemo. My feet will swell if I sit too long.
maybe try “Lathrop and sons” to ask if they can custom make a right boot. Wider at the ball and normal at the heel.
I’ve suffered with it for several years now. Podiatrist tried laser therapy for a couple of months, but the relief was only temporary. Orthopedic insoles and wide forefront boots have helped the most. I’m not to the point yet to try the surgery to remove or kill the nerves. Good luck and let us know if you find any cures!
I had one.... Went to the foot doctor and he asked what he could do for me. I said see that toe.... I want it cut off. He just laughed. After some test said I had a Morton's Neuroma. Numbed it and took it out. I even watched him doing it.... Surgery was simple and quick.... Don't keep messing around, just get it fixed. That was almost 20 years ago and I haven't had one issue with it since....
Keen boots and footwear are the only boots and shoes that I don't get burning pain in the balls of my feet and toes, meindle's and danners where killers, lowas are pretty bad too
I suffered with this for years. Shots helped early but became less effective every one I received. Tried about everything with little success. Finally had surgery to remove the nerve. Only down side is the loss of feeling between two toes. Pain free for about 6 years now.
surgery is about 85% excellent,12% better but not quite as good as desired and 2-3 % poor. I have never had a patient be worse, but have seen some done elsewhere, and they were miserable. You can get a hapad metatarsal pad online very cheaply and it goes just toward the heel from the tender area.If that does not work try a cortisone shot once or twice. If that does not work, get it fixed
I had neuroma surgery a couple years ago. The doctor actually took out the wrong nerve! It was a bummer. He said there were several nerves that crossed in the area where I had pain? Weird he couldn't find the one with the neuroma before cutting one out. I went to a different foot doc and he said only around 20% of neuromas are successful. He could do another surgery but would have to cut through muscle in the bottom of my foot. It would take a lot longer to recover. I decided to forget trying a 2nd surgery so have just dealt with the pain.
A few things that somewhat work for me are: padded insoles (replace often!), padded socks, boots with plenty of room in the toe area. I also had a custom orthotic made. It basically was an insole with a hole in the area below the neuroma. That relieved the pressure of the nerve. My orthotic worked fairly well but only lasted so long before it wore out. I actually made my own by cutting fairly thick insole material in areas around the neuroma so the neuroma didn't touch the insole.
Anyway, I share your pain! Be willing to try a few things until you figure out works for your particular feet! I would definitely try everything and only do surgery as a last resort!
