UKC

Been having some serious pain the last few months in one of my feet which following an ultrasound I have been told is Morton's toe. The sonographer basically said i have grisly build ups around a nerve which is causing the pain. One of the main triggers for the pain lateral compression of the ball of my foot which means I can't put my rock boots on�� Has anyone here had Morton's Toe and what have you been able to do about it? I have wondered if years of wearing tight rock boots might even be the cause of it?

In reply to Baron Weasel:

I think the condition you may have is Morton's Neuroma not Morton's Toe (which is where the second toe is much longer than the big toe).

In reply to jon:

I thought they were the same, but yes it's Morton's neuroma.

In reply to Baron Weasel:

Thanks for updating the thread title moderator ��

In reply to Baron Weasel:

All I can add is that I get these issues but only with pressure up into the ball of my foot, not so much lateral pressure. So shoes with very pronounced, cupped midsoles cause me a lot of pain. The worst shoes I've had for this are the La sportiva Solutions, Testarossas and the Evolv Shamans. Shame because they are also some of the best shoes I've ever used...

In reply to cha1n:
Ah now, that is interesting. In the last three years or so I've had two reasonably prolonged periods of intense pain under the ball of my foot between the second and third toes (Morton's is typically between third and fourth) and like you it appears to be brought on by pressure from below and not lateral pressure. The trigger that was common with both episodes was driving my Berlingo which has a very heavy clutch pressure. Although the lateral pressure of tight rock shoes didn't seem to aggravate the problem, the pain was such that I couldn't stand on the front of my rock shoes at all. When it was at its worst I couldn't walk normally - ie heel down first then rolling on to the ball of the foot - I'd have to walk on the outside edge of that foot. Only wearing fairly loose but stiff soled shoes or preferably sandals like Birkenstocks - and not driving the Berlingo - allowed a fairly slow recovery.

Baron Weasel, I'm sorry if that doesn't really answer your question. Is there any chance that your issues could have similarities with mine, or are you sure it's from lateral pressure?

In reply to jon:
Haha, funnily enough I had the same problem with my Berlingo! Luckily (or not?) the clutch broke and when it was replaced the pedal went back to being of average stiffness. I used to and still do to a certain extent, use the big toe side of the ball of my foot to press the clutch down to avoid the pain.

In reply to Baron Weasel:

I had a morton's neuroma excised between the 2nd and 3rd toes last October. It hadn't stopped me climbing but was uncomfortable. The surgery was fine but my foot isn't much better now than before the surgery. I had a post-op ultrasound that didn't show up anything, but it's still uncomfortable when walking. I've got another appt. with the consultant in May and I think I'll leave it alone til it stops me walking or climbing..

In reply to Baron Weasel:

I had Morton's neuroma about 5 years ago, often painful especially in rock boots. Had a cortisone injection between the toes which I was told would almost certainly help in the short to medium term, but it would probably return. Consultant also said that sometimes an injection can result in it going away altogether. 5 years on and no recurrence so far.

I've had to give up wearing the spangly high heels on a weekend - maybe that's the secret?

Dave

In reply to full stottie:

That's the sort of story I hope to tell in 5 years, though I'll miss my high heels.

In reply to Baron Weasel:

I had Morton's Neuroma . First appeared intensely on an Ailefroide multi pitch to the extent I nearly fell off.
It recurred on and off for a few years but became more frequent. NHS did little..... Some cortisone injections were useless.
I ended up deciding to get cryo surgery done to kill off some of the gristly bits. I had it done privately by Robin at the Barn Clinic in Sheffield..... Not cheap but seems to have worked as still OK a few years later. He said he had treated quite a few climbers and many ballet dancers...., common link obviously tightly constricted shoes. NHS does not seem to offer cryo but does do alcohol injections. (!) These are apparently relatively unsuccessful as they are so painful that lots of people don't get the whole course done. Cryo is only one session usually and is minimally invasive.
Cryo seems more used in USA.

In reply to Baron Weasel:
Sorry to hear about your problem and this is going to be of no help and probably only of minor interest but........
in the early part of the winter me and a mate climbed a route on The Ben called Morton's Neuroma. It was a sort of second best option that we came across in the guide book and we climbed it cause it was in nick when many other things weren't.

Back in front of the fire in the Living Room I found out where the rather unusual name came from [thanks to Google].
I was left wondering how the route was so named. I'm guesing that the first acentionist suffered from the condition too? It sounds like it may well severly hinder rock climbing but is probably less of a problem with rigid winter boots and crampons? Or possibly he [or she] also wore spangly high heels ?

In reply to Baron Weasel:

I had Morton's Neuroma around ten years ago owing to running shoes that were too tight and causing swelling in the nerve junction between the second and third toes. During walking/running the bones of the toes in the feet rub against the nerve junction causing irritation. If not resolved, the junction can become fibrous and give longer term problems.
The podiatrist recommended I put a toe separator in between the two toes and used a wider fitting shoe.
I did both and the problem settled. But then it depends if you catch it early.

In reply to birdie num num:

Good to hear a non injection or surgical remedy that worked. Who were you running from?

In reply to Baron Weasel:

I had one and did the opposite to conventional wisdom on the advice of a UKA physio.

I was told to wear tighter trainers which forced my foot into an arch and would therefore separate the metatarsals and relieve the pressure. It worked great.

In reply to Baron Weasel:

I normally run from various officers of the law, or shopkeepers. But in this case it was an angry father.

In reply to Baron Weasel:

As as orthotist I would generally advise against footwear that it not loose-fitting across the balls of the feet since it is only likely to further impinge on the affected nerve(s) running between the metatarsal heads. Mens shoes generally aren't a problem though in this respect. Footwear that is supportive and well-fitting around the rear and midfoot might might help though, and might relate to the above post says. Difficult to say whether climbing shoes are making it worse, or are the cause. Although they are tight-fitting the activities performed in them are quite limited and you're probably not walking to work in them. I've certainly never observed an increased prevalence amongst climbers.

In reply to Mr. Lee:


What about Berlingo drivers? Two already on this thread!