Happy Feet One Step at a Time

A Morton’s neuroma is a benign (non-cancerous)  thickening of tissue surrounding the digital nerve in the foot.  It is mostly found between the 3rd and 4th toes and is caused by injury or over use and occurs 4 times more often in women.

Symptoms may vary from numbness, a strange feeling, or a burning in the ball of the foot.  Tight and/or high heels may aggravate the pain.

You should see a podiatrist, who can evaluate this.  You have options:  a steroid injection, and custom orthotic devices to lift and separate the toes, relieving pressure.  Most people get relief with these simple measures.  For immediate help, wear a wider shoe with a lower heel and avoid hard soles.

Metatarsal pads will help also.

Dr. Burns’ Store

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New! Cryosurgery for Morton’s Neuromas:

Ingrown toenails are quite common, and very uncomfortable.  They can affect anyone at any age.

The medical term is onychrocryptosis.  Sometimes the nails presses against the skin without

actually breaking into the skin, but it still hurts.  A true ingrown nail has literally grown into the skin; degrees of severity vary from a small spike to a large section of nail.  Infection is common.

Causes of Ingrown Toenails:

• Heredity.  Some people are born with a "pincer" shaped nail; instead of going straight across, the tip of the toenail is very curved on the edges, predisposing it to becoming ingrown.
• Trauma
• Shoe pressure
• Improper nail trimming; especially easy to do if the nail is curving.  It is likely a sharp edge is left, or trimming goes too far down the side of the nail.
• Fleshy toe; the skin pushes into the nail
• Pressure from the adjoining toe

Prevention:

• Avoid tight socks or shoes
• Trim carefully and evenly.  A curved nail is difficult to trim straight; be sure there are no sharp edges left that will irritate the skin.
• Check the toe nails frequently for signs of becoming ingrown.
• If you are disabled or diabetic, see a podiatrist.

Treatment:

• The best thing to do is see a podiatrist; you may need an anesthetic and antibiotics.
• The shape of the toenail is usually the problem, and that can be remedied by a podiatrist.  After numbing the toe, a sliver of the nail is removed including the base of the nail (otherwise it can grow back).  You will be able to walk out the door after the procedure; just limit vigorous activities for a couple of weeks (as recommended by your doctor).

Don’t be afraid to get treatment!  Here are some funny excerpts by others who have been in your place:

 Ingrown toenail

 For the past five years, I’ve had a recurring ingrown toenail - it has always been on my big toe, right foot, inside corner. Extremely painful, and, though I’m not exactly motivated to exercise anyways, it certainly has done nothing to …

My “Ingrown Toenail” ordeal

It was official - I had an ingrown toenail that had become infected. Just another warning - this is going to get a bit graphic… In typical fashion, I waited until I could wait no longer, then finally I agreed with Cheria that it was …

See an ingrown toenail removed:

For ingrown toenail relief from Dr. Burns’ Store:

Gel separators

Gel tubes

Pain relief gel

The sensation of burning feet has many causes:

• Prolonged, excessive alcohol consumption
• Mechanical causes, including neuromas and Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
• Trauma, either by accident or surgery
• Poisoning (rare, such as acrylamide poisoning)
• Infection, such as leishmaniasis( a parasitic infection caused by sandflies);   viral infections:  such as varicella-zoster virus, HIV, and cytomegalovirus;  bacterial infections including Campylobacter jejuni and Lyme Disease,  Both the viral and bacterial types of infections can lead to  Guillain-Barre syndrome.  Other infections include botulism and poliomyelitis.
• Illness, like thrombocytopenia,
• Diseases, with the rare including leprosy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome (an inherited disorder) and the most prevalent and fastest growing problem,  Diabetes.  Included with Diabetes complications is Charcot’s Foot.

Read about the 5 phases of Neuropathy:

Video: Magnetic Therapy For Diabetic Neuropathy

What to do about burning feet depends on the cause.  If needed, first visit your podiatrist for professional advice.

Resources:

Mayo Clinic/Guillain-Barre

Mayo Clinic/Thrombocytopenia

CDC/Leishmaniasis

Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome

Charcot’s Foot

Golden Bamboo/ Acrylamide Poisoning,

CDC/Campylobacter jejuni

Web MD/Lyme Disease

emedicine/Varicalla-Zoster Virus

HIVsymptoms.org/HIV

Medicinenet.com/Botulism

TheBody.com/ Cytomegalovirus