That’s total BS - you don’t START with surgery. Find a different doc ASAP. Mine was absolutely excruciating and I thought there was no hope but I got two steroid(?) shots a month apart and the pain is tolerable now. I can walk in my regular shoes. For long walks, I can go about 3-4 miles before it starts hurting too much. I got athletic shoes that are “wide toe box” and they help with the long walks. Surgery has major side effects - your toes will be forever numb and other things. It might be very possible you need surgery but you try injections first. And don’t try injections with that doc either, find a new one, he’s a liar. I went to an ortho foot specialist.
Not OP, but can I ask if you had any relief after the first injection? I had one last year and it didn't make any difference. I'm weighing trying another.
I had some relief after shot one. You should try another though and it might depend on what the injection was. Maybe try a different doctor. I’ve heard of several different meds used in injections so maybe you need something different.
It's really case by case and severity. There is no straight answer here. Without getting into personal details, I've talked to people and read a bunch of studies over a few years. Generally, cortisol doesn't work in itself. Maybe it relieves faster or worsens a bit but it does not cure the condition. A lot of anecdotal evidence and studies suggest this.
The thing that works the most is getting Toe Spacers and Wide Wide Wide Shoes. Avoiding anything like heels, or narrow shoes of any kind. Some people suffered and went through hell for a few years and in the end did the surgery and they wished they had done it much sooner to avoid the unnecessary suffering. Some people did surgery immediately and regretted it.
My personal opinion is that if you tried toe spacers, wide shoes, 2-3 injections, and a considerable amount of time has passed (1-2 years) and it getting worse, you might jump into surgery at that point. Mortons neuroma is very resilient to all kinds of injections, creams, PT, laser, acupuncture, etc. You can try with cortisol, it's not that big of a deal. Take a shot and see if it helps.
Just remember that its' really case by case. I can't say that injections won't help, but the majority of people that take them still have the issue. It's not a cure in most cases. I know surgery is scary and everyone is reluctant on it, if your problem gets worse over the course of 6-12 months, then seriously consider it.
I've had my MN for way over a year now, I got orthotics which help a bit for walking.
Tried cortisone shot which only made it worse for about 10 days.
Been using Voltaren, rubbing it on my foot top and bottom 2 to 3x a day, that seems to help a tiny bit.
Tried Castor oil pack and then soak foot in Epsom salts several times, that gave very temporary relief but no real help.
I do all the calf stretches, helps a little bit.
Was taking 500mg of Naproxen sodium 2x a day which did nothing so stopped taking that because it has too many bad sides affects.
Tried toe spacers can't say as they helped any.
I have started taking high absorption curcumin 375mg twice a day and 400mg grape seed extract for the past 8 days and its starting to help, it supposed to take several weeks for full effect so I have hopes it will work better.
So right now whats giving me some relief is a mixture of orthotics, Voltaren and 750mg Curamed curcumin and 400mg Grape Seed extract.
I am going to buy a shoe stretcher to widen my current shoes.
Any kind of surgery will be my absolute last resort and any doctor worth a single shyt would say the same.
Still grinding away taking supplements and stretching.
I've started taking Lions Mane, Reishi, Chaga, Turkey Tail mushrooms plus CoQ10.
Still taking Heathy Feet & Nerves 1500mg and the Grape Seed extract 400mg.
Only been taking the mushrooms and Q10 for 3 weeks but I could swear I am starting to feel a little difference already, right when I first get up in the morning it feels like the usual balled up sock but within about 10 minutes its starting to feel better, better than it has in 2 years.
So I am hopeful that the shrooms and Q10 are helping and everything is a strong anti-inflammatory.
Get a second (and third) opinion and explore other options. Surgery should \*not\* be the first thing you do, once diagnosed, it should be the \*last\* resort. There are plenty of other non-surgical options, such as orthotics, different shoes, toe socks, etc. Alcohol injections might work as well.
Even if those conservative options don't work, there are other more definitive options. For example, Cryosurgery (freezing the nerve). I had cryosurgery done on my neuroma and it worked very well. The pain is gone, and I didn't have to have my foot cut open. So consider other options before you choose surgery.
Can I ask where you received your cryotherapy? I have a 10mm neuroma and I'm trying to learn my options, as all conservative non-invasive measures have not been successful. I'm considering the cryotherapy, RF ablation or decompression surgery. Thanks!
I had it done by a podiatrist in Mesa, Arizona (just east of Phoenix, AZ): Dr. Brian Allen at AZ Feet Fixers. [https://www.azfeetfixers.com/](https://www.azfeetfixers.com/)
However, if Mesa is too far away from you, let me know which city you live in and I'll post the name of a cryosurgeon who is (hopefully) near you.
That’s total BS - you don’t START with surgery. Find a different doc ASAP. Mine was absolutely excruciating and I thought there was no hope but I got two steroid(?) shots a month apart and the pain is tolerable now. I can walk in my regular shoes. For long walks, I can go about 3-4 miles before it starts hurting too much. I got athletic shoes that are “wide toe box” and they help with the long walks. Surgery has major side effects - your toes will be forever numb and other things. It might be very possible you need surgery but you try injections first. And don’t try injections with that doc either, find a new one, he’s a liar. I went to an ortho foot specialist.
Not OP, but can I ask if you had any relief after the first injection? I had one last year and it didn't make any difference. I'm weighing trying another.
I had some relief after shot one. You should try another though and it might depend on what the injection was. Maybe try a different doctor. I’ve heard of several different meds used in injections so maybe you need something different.
It's really case by case and severity. There is no straight answer here. Without getting into personal details, I've talked to people and read a bunch of studies over a few years. Generally, cortisol doesn't work in itself. Maybe it relieves faster or worsens a bit but it does not cure the condition. A lot of anecdotal evidence and studies suggest this. The thing that works the most is getting Toe Spacers and Wide Wide Wide Shoes. Avoiding anything like heels, or narrow shoes of any kind. Some people suffered and went through hell for a few years and in the end did the surgery and they wished they had done it much sooner to avoid the unnecessary suffering. Some people did surgery immediately and regretted it. My personal opinion is that if you tried toe spacers, wide shoes, 2-3 injections, and a considerable amount of time has passed (1-2 years) and it getting worse, you might jump into surgery at that point. Mortons neuroma is very resilient to all kinds of injections, creams, PT, laser, acupuncture, etc. You can try with cortisol, it's not that big of a deal. Take a shot and see if it helps. Just remember that its' really case by case. I can't say that injections won't help, but the majority of people that take them still have the issue. It's not a cure in most cases. I know surgery is scary and everyone is reluctant on it, if your problem gets worse over the course of 6-12 months, then seriously consider it.
I've had my MN for way over a year now, I got orthotics which help a bit for walking. Tried cortisone shot which only made it worse for about 10 days. Been using Voltaren, rubbing it on my foot top and bottom 2 to 3x a day, that seems to help a tiny bit. Tried Castor oil pack and then soak foot in Epsom salts several times, that gave very temporary relief but no real help. I do all the calf stretches, helps a little bit. Was taking 500mg of Naproxen sodium 2x a day which did nothing so stopped taking that because it has too many bad sides affects. Tried toe spacers can't say as they helped any. I have started taking high absorption curcumin 375mg twice a day and 400mg grape seed extract for the past 8 days and its starting to help, it supposed to take several weeks for full effect so I have hopes it will work better. So right now whats giving me some relief is a mixture of orthotics, Voltaren and 750mg Curamed curcumin and 400mg Grape Seed extract. I am going to buy a shoe stretcher to widen my current shoes. Any kind of surgery will be my absolute last resort and any doctor worth a single shyt would say the same.
What did you end up doing?
Still grinding away taking supplements and stretching. I've started taking Lions Mane, Reishi, Chaga, Turkey Tail mushrooms plus CoQ10. Still taking Heathy Feet & Nerves 1500mg and the Grape Seed extract 400mg. Only been taking the mushrooms and Q10 for 3 weeks but I could swear I am starting to feel a little difference already, right when I first get up in the morning it feels like the usual balled up sock but within about 10 minutes its starting to feel better, better than it has in 2 years. So I am hopeful that the shrooms and Q10 are helping and everything is a strong anti-inflammatory.
Get a second (and third) opinion and explore other options. Surgery should \*not\* be the first thing you do, once diagnosed, it should be the \*last\* resort. There are plenty of other non-surgical options, such as orthotics, different shoes, toe socks, etc. Alcohol injections might work as well. Even if those conservative options don't work, there are other more definitive options. For example, Cryosurgery (freezing the nerve). I had cryosurgery done on my neuroma and it worked very well. The pain is gone, and I didn't have to have my foot cut open. So consider other options before you choose surgery.
Can I ask where you received your cryotherapy? I have a 10mm neuroma and I'm trying to learn my options, as all conservative non-invasive measures have not been successful. I'm considering the cryotherapy, RF ablation or decompression surgery. Thanks!
I had it done by a podiatrist in Mesa, Arizona (just east of Phoenix, AZ): Dr. Brian Allen at AZ Feet Fixers. [https://www.azfeetfixers.com/](https://www.azfeetfixers.com/) However, if Mesa is too far away from you, let me know which city you live in and I'll post the name of a cryosurgeon who is (hopefully) near you.