Exercises for Morton’s neuroma can help alleviate pain, improve healing potential and strengthen and balance foot muscles. They’re easy to do on an everyday basis for maximum benefit!
Morton’s neuroma is characterized by burning pain in the ball of your foot or numbness or tingling in your toes, but changing footwear, wearing shoes with wider toe boxes and performing certain exercises may help alleviate symptoms.
Calf Stretch
Calf muscles play an integral part in foot and ankle function, so stretching them can help ease neuroma symptoms by relieving pressure from nerves affected. A combination of regular exercise, massage, and using over-the-counter shoe inserts or metatarsal pads may also be effective at relieving Morton’s neuroma pain.
Morton’s neuroma can be caused by various factors, including foot deformities like bunions or hammertoes that alter how weight is distributed on your feet; repetitive stress from activities like running and sports that involve push-off motions; poor biomechanical habits which place additional strain on the forefoot; as well as biomechanical imbalances imposed upon it through running or sports participation. But more often than not it simply comes about from buildups of bone around an affected nerve that eventually become inflamed and painful over time.
Morton’s neuroma exercises focus on strengthening the arch of the foot; however, stretching exercises for calf and lower leg muscles may also help alleviate associated foot pain. Sit in a chair with one foot crossed over another knee before using your hand to gently pull toes back towards your shin while holding for 15-30 seconds and repeat.
Golf ball roll therapy is another popular exercise to relieve neuroma symptoms. By placing a tennis or golf ball beneath one’s foot and rolling it back and forth, this helps release tension in the foot, reduce inflammation and enhance blood flow to help alleviate pain and stiffness in that area.
Exercise for Morton’s neuroma include toe curls, which can help strengthen toe and foot muscles and enhance overall foot function. Ankle circles may also help keep ankles flexible while alleviating any associated pain from conditions like Morton’s neuroma.
Standing on an edge of a step or box can also help stretch out calf muscles. Make sure that your heel remains on the ground, lean forward until you feel the stretch in front of your calf, then hold for 30-60 seconds before repeating steps 1-6.
Arch Stretch
Although Morton’s neuroma may go away with rest, exercise can still help strengthen foot strength and relieve pressure off of the ball of your foot. One such exercise that may be helpful is standing calf stretching which loosens tight calf muscles that could contribute to this condition. Do this several times each day especially prior and following activities that put stress on the ball of your foot.
Arch Stretch is another effective foot exercise to combat Morton’s neuroma, helping relieve its symptoms. Sit comfortably on a chair and place a small ball such as tennis or golf ball on the floor in front of you while keeping both feet together with toes pointed forward and heels slightly apart; use your toes to roll it back and forth across your arch with as much pressure as is comfortably tolerated, up to three times per day for maximum benefit. This exercise should be performed.
Ankle circles are another effective and simple exercise that can help maintain ankle flexibility and relieve some of the strain caused by Morton’s neuroma. While seated on the floor, place your foot in the center of a towel held by each end. Use your toes to scrunch the towel toward yourself until it stretches your arch – hold this position for 15-30 seconds then relax – repeat as often as necessary until this effect takes hold and repeat until stretching becomes noticeable in your arch.
As another way of managing Morton’s neuroma pain, visiting your physician or physical therapist for stretching and strengthening exercises may also help. Regular participation can reduce symptoms while postponing more serious interventions like surgery; however, these should only ever be considered a last resort as surgery comes with its own set of risks and lengthy recovery period.
Figure-Eight Stretch
Morton’s neuroma usually presents itself in the form of sharp, burning pain between your toes. This sensation occurs when nerves become pinched by thickened tissue; exercise may help relieve symptoms without fully curing this condition.
These exercises for your feet are simple and noninvasive; you can perform them any time and anywhere. In addition to strengthening and improving balance, these exercises also strengthen and stabilize the feet while supporting Morton’s neuroma healing efforts.
Sit comfortably on the floor, with legs extended straight out in front of you, leading with your big toe. Move your foot through an expansive range of motion in a figure eight pattern that stretches the arch and ball of your foot to reduce nerve pressure in this area. As a variation, try writing out an alphabet with your foot instead, tracing each letter of the alphabet.
Hold your foot up in the air while flexing your ankles and toes – this will stretch the arch and toes, relieving pressure from nerves. Try holding this stretch for 15-30 seconds at a time before repeating it several times in succession.
This exercise can be completed both while sitting in a chair and on the ground. Start by standing up straight with both hands on a wall for support before slowly rotating your shoulders in an eight pattern for several rotations before switching sides and repeating this movement several times more.
Exercise for foot neuroma is to sit on either a chair or the floor with a spikey ball in your foot’s center, then place your foot overtop of it, rolling gently around. This will stimulate circulation while alleviating inflammation in the painful area.
If you are experiencing foot pain due to Morton’s neuroma, contact DeNiel Foot and Ankle Center immediately! Our expert podiatrists can address all your queries or concerns and get you on the road to recovery quickly!
Warm-Up
Morton’s neuroma is a painful foot condition that impacts the space between your third and fourth toes, often leading to burning pain, numbness and tingling in the ball of your foot. Symptoms often present themselves suddenly and may be worsened by wearing high heels, tight shoes or participating in repetitive activities such as running or sports. Thankfully, simple exercises and stretches exist that can provide some relief for this neuroma pain.
Home exercises designed to address Morton’s neuroma can provide instantaneous relief, strengthening your feet so they function normally again, as well as helping prevent future foot issues. These Morton’s neuroma exercises will also prevent future foot problems in the future.
Additionally, it’s wise to consult a physiotherapist who can develop a tailored plan designed to ease neuroma pain. By controlling symptoms with targeted exercises and therapies, more severe treatments such as injections or surgery may not be necessary.
A physiotherapist will develop an individualized program tailored to you that includes stretching and strengthening exercises for your feet, as well as other exercises designed to increase balance and foot coordination. They can help create a healthy routine which incorporates proper footwear, orthotics and anti-inflammatory medications into it.
There are various foot exercises designed to strengthen and alleviate pressure around neuromas. One popular choice is called the bottle roll: placing one’s foot atop of a bottle and rolling it back and forth over its surface to focus on areas between third and fourth metatarsal spaces.
Other foot exercises that may help alleviate pain include toe squeezes and ankle circles. Toe squeezes involve pointing your toes downward into a fist position while sitting on a chair; then gently lift off them off the ground for 10-15 seconds while maintaining this pose.
Ankle circles are another effective foot exercise to relieve Morton’s neuroma pain, maintaining ankle flexibility while alleviating pressure in the area. To perform them effectively, stand with legs shoulder-width apart, extend one leg toward a wall and move your ankle in a circular pattern with gentle yet consistent motions.
