Morton's neuroma
Morton's neuroma is a benign neuroma of an intermetatarsal plantar nerve, most commonly of the second and third intermetatarsal spaces (between the second/third and third/fourth metatarsal heads; the first is of the big toe), which results in the entrapment of the affected nerve. The main symptoms are pain and/or numbness, sometimes relieved by ceasing to wear footwear with tight toe boxes and high heels (which have been linked to the condition). The condition is named after Thomas George Morton, though it was first correctly described by a chiropodist named Durlacher.
| Morton's neuroma | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Morton neuroma, Morton's metatarsalgia, Intermetatarsal neuroma, Intermetatarsal space neuroma common plantar digital compressive neuropathy |
| The plantar nerves. | |
| Specialty | Neurology |
Some sources claim that entrapment of the plantar nerve resulting from compression between the metatarsal heads, as originally proposed by Morton, is highly unlikely, because the plantar nerve is on the plantar side of the transverse metatarsal ligament and thus does not come into contact with the metatarsal heads. It is more likely that the transverse metatarsal ligament is the cause of the entrapment.
Though the condition is labeled as a neuroma, many sources do not consider it a true tumor, but rather a perineural fibroma (fibrous tissue formation around nerve tissue).