I had Mortons Neuroma surgery 8 months ago and now have worse feelings in my foot than I had before!I feel like I am continually pushing on a nerve or something every step I take. I also have numbness where the incision was made, which I expected, but not this terrible sensation I am experiencing. I had an mri done recently and nothing showed up. I have been referred to an acupuncture dr. in hopes that he may be able to help me. I may also be going to a pain clinic, even though what I am experiencing is a nerve problem, not really pain. Has anyone every had acupuncture or went to a pain clinic for foot complications following surgery and did anything help? Has anyone experienced a nerve problem or bad sensations in your foot following surgery and did it ever go away. This is the most debilitating thing I have ever experienced. It's disrupted my life, big time!
Sharon
Last edited by Dancinboots; 02-08-2009 at 12:07 PM.
The following 2 users give hugs of support to: Dancinboots djminqld (05-24-2011), rdaylong (11-28-2010)
I had Mortons Neuroma surgery 8 months ago and now have worse feelings in my foot than I had before!I feel like I am continually pushing on a nerve or something every step I take. I also have numbness where the incision was made, which I expected, but not this terrible sensation I am experiencing. I had an mri done recently and nothing showed up. I have been referred to an acupuncture dr. in hopes that he may be able to help me. I may also be going to a pain clinic, even though what I am experiencing is a nerve problem, not really pain. Has anyone every had acupuncture or went to a pain clinic for foot complications following surgery and did anything help? Has anyone experienced a nerve problem or bad sensations in your foot following surgery and did it ever go away. This is the most debilitating thing I have ever experienced. It's disrupted my life, big time!
Sharon
Dear Sharon,
What you almost certainly have, I would venture to say, is what is called a "stump neuroma". I should know: I have had the exact same history as you. Yes, it is nerve pain and it is excrucriatingly painful if you use your foot much at all. I, too, have taken medication prescribed by a pain specialist when I used my foot too much (just by walking!) and this is not the solution. It will take weeks for the inflamed stump neuroma to calm down and only strong prescribed pain medication helps to make the pain tolerable.
The stump neuroma following excision of the metatarsial nerve can be read about it on various podiatry or orthopedic web sites. Do look up the words foot + stump neuroma, or morton's neuroma + stump neuroma. I had to diagnose myself as my MD foot and ankle board certified orthopedic surgeon was too uncaring to even educate me about what I had when I complained about the severe pain following surgery!! But the stump neuroma is not his fault: It is a fairly common complication of even good surgery.
I am about to see a doctor at the NYC Hospital for Special Surgery tomorrow to discuss my own stump neuroma. I don't know what he will do for it yet. My original surgeon told me I can have "sclerosing" a few times or a new surgery in which: the stump is inserted into muscle tissue inside the foot so it won't move and you supposedly no longer feel pain.
It has taken me years to get help and I am hopeful that this new foot and ankle surgeon can help me.
Don't despair, but be aware that you should NOT have multiple sclerosing done or you may have an unsuccessful necessary second surgery. SPEND THE MONEY and ONLY GO TO THE BEST BOARD CERTIFIED FOOT AND ANKLE ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON IN YOUR AREA. Don't let a podiatrist insert cortisone or other drugs. Acupuncture will not help as it will not protect you from later feeling that stump nerve!!
Martha: The procedure your are talking about is nerve decompression. DO NOT have that procedure! It has a low success rate and there usually are further complications due to the missing ligament that they cut. The bones do not hold together properly after this and people usually have problems down the road. A stump neuroma shoudl be removed with a plantar incision (bottom of the foot). One will be NWB for 3-4 weeks after this. However, it has a VERY high success rate.
I have not been told by my pod that what I am experiencing is a stump neuroma. That was one of the reasons I had the mri done, to check for a stump neuroma and it showed nothing. This is what is so baffling to me, no one seems to know anything. I was told that it sometimes takes up to a year for everything in my foot to "settle down" It's been 8 months. I don't have what you would call pain, but more like a nerve entrapment of sorts. Numbness in 2 toes and also on the ball of foot right underneath where the incision was made. I'm at a complete loss as to what to do or where to go. I would rather have my original bad feeling I had befoe surgery than what I am experiencing now. I hope you find some answers for your problem when you go talk to the doctor tomorrow. Let me know how things are going for you and what you decide to do. I need to talk to someone who can tell me why I have these annoying bad sensations and I need someone who can help me without going on drugs.
Hi Dancinboots,
I, too had neuroma surgery 11 years ago !! After the surgery,for years it felt as though I was walking on a walnut or almond and was forever searching for shoes, sandals, inserts, metatarsal pads that would help me walk painlessly. I, too, would have much preferred to have the annoying sensation that I had prior to the surgery..from what I learned later, those sensations settle down after time by wearing a healthier shoe. I had ankle surgery in February last year and have since developed Reflex sympathetic dystrophy/complex regional pain syndrome in my foot from the ankle surgery. I don't know if you're familiar with that but it's an unusual nerve disorder that can happen after surgery or an injury.
My current foot doctor said I have a stump plus a new neuroma in the ball of the same foot!! But because of the RSD, he cannot perform surgery to fix the stump/neuroma problem. Surgery is a big no-no when you have RSD as it inflames all the nerves and makes a painful situation incredibly more painful..
So, long story short, I commiserate with you..I thought the neuroma surgery 11 years ago would take care of the neuroma probelm but it made it worse and now all the nerves in the ball of my foot are wild and sensitive from the RSD and I can barely walk. it causes burning and very painful tingling if I walk even a few feet or yards...so I'm up the creek!!!
I also had an MRI and the the stump nor the new neuroma did not show up in the MRI. I've read tht an ultrasound is a better way to detect neuromas...
You might consider having an ultrasound done to see exacty what is going in there. And definitely go to a reputable foot speciailst EXPERT, which is what I should have done 11 years ago. he may have told me to live with it and get a pair of orthopedic shoes!!!!! Good luck, and I know you will find a solution to your problem...keep searching!!!!!
Hey Sharon, I'm so sorry to hear you are having trouble. You and I had surgery around the same time. Mine was for bunions. I think I recall that you live near my home town Ann Arbor. Could there possibly a specialist connected to the U of M that could help you? I would think they may have some new ideas regarding types of treatment etc. Hope you find the answers and help you need. Take care.
I have never heard of RSD. I did a search on it and it sounds terrrible! How could having an ankle surgery cause this? So far I have not been told that I have another neuroma nor a stump neuroma so I don't know what's going on. All I know is that I continue to have that numb feeling on ball of foot as well as bad sensations in my foot. I still say it's some kind of nerve entrapment or compression.
I had an acupuncture treatment on Friday but so far I don't feel any different. Very frustrating to be going to a top doc podiatrist and I can't seem to be able to get any solutions. I sometimes wonder if he screwed up and won't admit it. So far he has referred me to an acupuncture doctor, a pain clinic, (which I have not went to yet, nor do I think I will since all they will do is shoot you up with injections and stick you on meds)
I have also seen a neuorologist (nothing showed up there) In addition I have went to therapy twice for deep tissue massage for possible scar tissue, ultrasound, and the last time for anodyne therapy that is supposed to help with circulation as well as restoring normal feeling in foot. None of which did me any good. So the search continues.
Janesfoot
How are you doing after your bunion surgery? I have thought of U of M and I might be checking into it.
I'm doing fairly well. I'm taking Zumba classes. My foot hurts a bit now and then, but nothing that keeps me from doing what I want. My fifth metarsal was purposely set so it would not rejoin completely, but be flexible. My PCP said it was broken (last August) and it technically was/is. My POD said it was healing as it should, so when it hurts now, I wonder......
This was my first surgery. I've learned feet are tricky to fix. I hope your problems with your foot will be solved. Are you able to dance again?
What you almost certainly have, I would venture to say, is what is called a "stump neuroma". I should know: I have had the exact same history as you. Yes, it is nerve pain and it is excrucriatingly painful if you use your foot much at all. I, too, have taken medication prescribed by a pain specialist when I used my foot too much (just by walking!) and this is not the solution. It will take weeks for the inflamed stump neuroma to calm down and only strong prescribed pain medication helps to make the pain tolerable.
The stump neuroma following excision of the metatarsial nerve can be read about it on various podiatry or orthopedic web sites. Do look up the words foot + stump neuroma, or morton's neuroma + stump neuroma. I had to diagnose myself as my MD foot and ankle board certified orthopedic surgeon was too uncaring to even educate me about what I had when I complained about the severe pain following surgery!! But the stump neuroma is not his fault: It is a fairly common complication of even good surgery.
I am about to see a doctor at the NYC Hospital for Special Surgery tomorrow to discuss my own stump neuroma. I don't know what he will do for it yet. My original surgeon told me I can have "sclerosing" a few times or a new surgery in which: the stump is inserted into muscle tissue inside the foot so it won't move and you supposedly no longer feel pain.
It has taken me years to get help and I am hopeful that this new foot and ankle surgeon can help me.
Don't despair, but be aware that you should NOT have multiple sclerosing done or you may have an unsuccessful necessary second surgery. SPEND THE MONEY and ONLY GO TO THE BEST BOARD CERTIFIED FOOT AND ANKLE ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON IN YOUR AREA. Don't let a podiatrist insert cortisone or other drugs. Acupuncture will not help as it will not protect you from later feeling that stump nerve!!
Good luck and write back if you wish.
Martha
Dear Martha,
Did you find any solutions for your stump neuroma? Have you heard about alcohol injections? What did the doctor at NYU say?
Thanks.
Hello Martha and everyone,
I am wondering what the best diagnostic test is for viewing neuromas...I had an MRI and nothing showed up yet my foot doc says I have a stump and a new neuroma...I thought I had read somewhere that ultrasound was the best way to actually be able to confirm a diagnosis, but then I read elsewhere that sonogram was the best test to see them..( maybe there are one and the same...not sure)
My neuromas are aggravated by the RSD/CRPS and neuropathy...
Any info on how to view them would be great..
Thanks
Tread lightly!!!!
Tigerlily
Hello Martha and everyone,
I am wondering what the best diagnostic test is for viewing neuromas...I had an MRI and nothing showed up yet my foot doc says I have a stump and a new neuroma...I thought I had read somewhere that ultrasound was the best way to actually be able to confirm a diagnosis, but then I read elsewhere that sonogram was the best test to see them..( maybe there are one and the same...not sure)
My neuromas are aggravated by the RSD/CRPS and neuropathy...
Any info on how to view them would be great..
Thanks
Tread lightly!!!!
Tigerlily
Dear Tigerlily,
You just may have answered your own question. An ultrasound is exactly the same thing as a sonogram. Most orthopaedics will ask for an ultrasound/sonogram for helping to diasgnose the Morton's neuroma.
Janesfoot...What is Zumba classes? Is that some kind of dance I don't know about? I am still teaching a line dance class but I am not enjoying it like I'd like to, not with this annoying foot of mine. I have been reading about cryosurgery for mortons neuroma and have read of people having good results with the procedure.
Actually I posted a thread called cryosurgery after post mortons neuromac omplications and got a very encouraging reply. There is a Dr. Lawrence Fallet here in Michigan who was one of the pioneers in this procedure. You could do a search and read about it. His office is about 15 minutes from where I live. I am glad to hear that you are doing well.
Tigerlily, when I had an mri done recently nothing showed up on mine either, but I KNOW something is lurking in my foot. What I am beginning to wonder about is why my pod never had me get an ultrasound or sonogram to detect the neuroma in the first place, only the "clicking sound" as well as x-rays??
Sharon
Last edited by Dancinboots; 02-27-2009 at 06:27 AM.
Sounds like Dr. Fallett is a good lead. Zumba is like a combo latin american dance and aerobics. Our instructor is Peruvian, male, and wants us to shake it, shake it, shake it. Good excercise and hilarious at the same time. Hope you find an answer soon.
Hi all,
Cryosurgery sounds like a possible solution to problems with stump neuromas and neuromas in general !!
Dancingboots,
11 years ago when I had an uncomfortable sensation in the bottoms of my feet, I never, never, never should have listened to the podiatrist who rushed into a neuroma excision..All I had was an x-ray which shows nothing (I have since learned) It was done in December ( a very rushed situation) because the deductible in my insurance was going to go up again in January....I must say, I had problems from the beginning. His untrained wife, the business manager of his practice, gave me too much ultrasound in the forefoot and caused a breakout of cellulitis! on the top of my foot...The uncomfortable feeling in my other foot finally resolved without surgery!!!!!! That's why I'm so mad at myself for having this neuroma surgery 11 years ago!!
All that aside, the surgery has plagued me all these years, and never was able to find a pair of comfortable shoes...it always felt like I was walking on an almond or a small walnut..
But now after my ankle injury/surgery I have developed RSD/CRPS which is not compatible with surgery...and the ball of my foot feels terrible I can barely walk...Terrible sensations of electrical surges, sometimes it feels like broken glass....the foot doc says I have a stump neuroma and a new neuroma.. HOW DOES HE KNOW !! He says that the RSD is making everthing worse because RSD affects the nerves !!! I am going to see my foot doc next week and inquire about the cryosurgery and getting a sonogram...
It sounds like a possible option for you!!!!! I hope what you find out can help you and give you ultimate relief!!!!
Tigerlily
That's all I had to determine that I had a neuroma also. An x-ray and the "clicking sound". No ultrasound , or sonogram. I had an mri recently to see if I had anything else going on but I was told that nothing showed up. I have not been told that I have a stump neuroma. Strange that I wasn't shown the mri only told about the results. I wonder sometimes?? Even if a surgeon screwed up do you really think they would admit it? I had a top doc in Michigan so I would hope I could believe him. All I know is that something is definately not right. I feel so sad about your predicament with your foot problem. I don't understand much about RSD/CRPS. What caused this after your ankle surgery? It sounds terrible! Please keep posting. I am interested in how you are doing. Let me know what your doc says about the cryosurgery. I hope it may be able to help you. I am at my wits end as to what to do about my ongoing problem. Before I had my surgery, my pod says he was going to "fix it" He fixed it alright, it feels worse than it did before. My question that I need to find out is whether or not cryosurgery can help with complications after you have already had the neuroma removed. Check out the thread I started entitled cryosurgery for post mortons neuroma complications. There are some interesting replies. One is actually from a podiatirst. JCPelly
Sharon
Last edited by Dancinboots; 02-27-2009 at 06:36 AM.
Hi Sharon,
First, Whenever I have an MRI, I always tell the office staff to mail me a copy of the report and they always have. Also you can request a CD of the films, or copies. You have a right to see your won medical records!!! Then, you can always take your MRI materials to another doc for a second opinion. (I wish I had done that 11 years ago) I read the other thread that you have on cryosurgery and a poster suggested waiting a little while longer to see if the discomfort begins to subside. But in the meantime, a second opinion would be a good idea.
I am having a hard time with my situation. I work full time and try and grin and bear the pain that comes along with RSD..but all I can wear is flip-flops with socks..I work in an office!! and drive 1/2 hour each way. The sole of the flip-flops is very soft and makes the little walking that I do bearable. I was wearing crocs after surgery on the ankle last year and even they are too hard now for the ball of my foot. Sharon, don't give up..wait it out a little bit longer but get your MRI reports and get a second opinion. Also I'm trying to get a sonogram to get an accurate report on the neuromas..try and do the same!!!
Tigerlily
As soon as I read your post I got on the phone and called the hospital where I had the mri on my foot done in January and asked if I could acquire a copy and they told me absolutely. She is making up a disc and also a written report on the mri and I can pick it up anytime. I'm wondering if there would be somewhere who could read it to me or explain to me what it says. Sometimes they are hard to translate. I would have thought my pod would have shown me the mri results instead of just telling me about it. Usually they will show you an x-ray after they one in the office. So many questions lurking in my mind.
Last edited by Dancinboots; 02-27-2009 at 02:26 PM.
Hi Dancinboots,
That's great that you're getting your MRI info!!!!! Maybe your primary doc can intrpret them for you or you can go back to the doc who order the mri!!!
Can you believe it..I had an MRI last year and one again last month and I am the only one who has looked at the films!!! I just don't get it!! I thought the docs would spend like a half hour reviewing them with me..in my dreams!!!!
We have to be more assertive and ask for what we need!!
Have a good weekend!
Tigerlily
My deepest sympathy to you for what you have gone through!
I would like to share my perspective. It is my perspective only, I am a layperson, etc. but I do have an opinion based on experience and what I have learned from long conversations with doctors.
First, cryosurgery: Here in New York, my board certified orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon says this method should not be used. I certainly would never have cryosurgery. Why? Because, he says, one cannot do this surgery with any more than a guess as to where one is doing the freezing/killing of tissue. You are working with the tissue in a guessing game. You can easily kill healthy surrounding tissue, and I believe this includes things you need such as tendons and healthy nerve tissue.
They don't use cryosurgery in any orthopedic practices (MD) and when I went to the well respected teaching clinic for podiatric medicine, for a consult, I was told the same by the person I saw: a podiatric surgeon who is also a full time faculty member there. He also told me that it is not usual to do schlerosing for stump neuromas, which is what I have following excision of the neuroma in my foot.
I was very surprised when I saw an extremely highly regarded foot and ankle MD surgeon recently at the most prestigious orthopedic hospital in NY. He told me that I need to live with my stump neuroma! He said that I am very sensitive to pain (he examined my foot and metatarsalgia) and he was correct about that, for I have always been so. He said that he advised no surgery whatsoever on my foot, as he feels I could suffer greater, not less pain, as a consequence. So, I must live with a stump neuroma that hurts in bed when I lie in certain positions,and must not walk more than a few blocks at any given time,for the rest of my life, I believe. I can live with that if I am not going to get less, but more, pain, after surgery.
Thanks so much for the encouragement and the heads up on the cryosurgery. I will definately give that some thought. I have been wondering myself why there are so few podiatirsts who perform this surgery. There is only one in Michigan where I live. What you said about a guessing game as to where to do the freezing and the possiblity of damaging other good tissues and tendons makes sense. Was your neuroma surgery done from the top or the bottom of the foot? Mine was done from the top and I am wondering if that is why I am experiencing problems now with numbness and bad sensations on the ball of my foot.
I had an mri done recently and a stump neuroma did not show up. I may be going for a second opinion when I get my mri report and disc. It's been 9 months since my surgery. One doctor said that unless a neuroma is removed from the bottom, there is no way they can see whether or not they are getting all of it. Everyone has a different opinion.
Does your doctor think that going back in and removing the stump neuroma would not get rid of the discomfort you are experiencing? I can't imagine being told that I would just have to live with the pain, discomfort and stump neuroma. I wonder if anyone knows anything. I value this health board because I believe the people posting are sharing their life experiences and have no reason to be dishonest.
Sharon
Last edited by Dancinboots; 02-28-2009 at 07:40 AM.
Worse feeling after Morton's Neuroma Surgery 
