What is the Difference Between Metatarsalgia and Morton’s Neuroma

The key difference between metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma is that metatarsalgia is a condition that causes pain and inflammation in the ball of the foot, while Morton’s neuroma is a condition that causes thickening of the tissue around a nerve in the foot that has been irritated or damaged.

Metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma are two associated medical conditions. Both these conditions can cause heel pain. This is because Morton’s neuroma is one possible cause of metatarsalgia. Similar key symptoms of these conditions include pain, numbness, and inflammation near the ball of the foot. Furthermore, physical stretches and surgeries like orthotic inserts can treat both of these conditions.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Metatarsalgia
3. What is Morton’s Neuroma
4. Similarities – Metatarsalgia and Morton’s Neuroma
5. Metatarsalgia vs Morton’s Neuroma in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Metatarsalgia vs Morton’s Neuroma

What is Metatarsalgia?

Metatarsalgia is a condition that causes pain and inflammation in the ball of the foot, which is caused by trauma and inflammation in the metatarsal heads. The metatarsal heads are the five bones that connect each of the toes to the foot. This trauma and inflammation can be due to badly fitting footwear, high-impact sports, being overweight, unusual bone structure in the feet, joint and foot conditions like arthritis, gout, bunions, bursitis, Morton’s neuroma, neuroma, hammer toes, and stress fractures. The symptoms of this condition may include pain that is concentrated at the ball of the foot; numbness at the ball of the foot; a dull aching that sharply increases while doing physical activities; pain that increases while putting weight on foot, standing on tiptoe or walking barefoot; pain that increases while walking or moving and the feeling of a small stone underneath the foot while walking even barefoot.

Metatarsalgia is diagnosed through physical examination, X-rays, and blood tests. Furthermore, metatarsalgia can be treated through resting the feet, using an ice pack, changing footwear, using shock-absorbing pads or insoles, maintaining a healthy weight, medications (paracetamol or ibuprofen), foot and ankle exercises, steroid injections or, in rare cases, surgery.

What is Morton’s Neuroma?

Morton’s neuroma is a condition that causes the thickening of the tissue around a nerve in the foot that has been irritated or damaged. Morton’s neuroma is caused by an injury to the nerves in the foot or strain and injury to the toes as a result of wearing high heels or other shoes. The symptoms of this condition include a shooting, stabbing, or burning pain, tingling, numbness, or pain in the ball of the foot, soreness or a tender area between the third and fourth toes, a pronounced mass between the third and fourth toes, a feeling that has a small foreign object beneath the skin at the ball of the foot, and pain that increases when bearing weigh on the foot.

Moreover, Morton’s neuroma can be diagnosed through physical examination. X-ray, MRI scan, and ultrasound. Furthermore, Morton’s neuroma is treated by wearing specially made soft pads or insoles, radiofrequency ablation, steroid or alcohol infection, and foot surgery.

What are the Similarities Between Metatarsalgia and Morton’s Neuroma?

• Metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma are two associated medical conditions.
• Both these conditions can cause heel pain.
• Morton’s neuroma is one possible cause of metatarsalgia.
• Both these conditions may have similar symptoms, which include pain, numbness, and inflammation near the ball of the foot.
• Both these conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and imaging scans.
• They are treated through physical stretches and surgeries like orthotic inserts.

What is the Difference Between Metatarsalgia and Morton’s Neuroma?

Metatarsalgia is a condition that causes pain and inflammation in the ball of the foot, while Morton’s neuroma is a condition that causes the thickening of the tissue around a nerve in the foot that has been irritated or damaged. Thus, this is the key difference between metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma. Furthermore, metatarsalgia is caused by trauma and inflammation in the metatarsal heads. On the other hand, Morton’s neuroma is caused by an injury to the nerves in the foot or strain and injury to the toes.

The below infographic presents the differences between metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

Summary – Metatarsalgia vs Morton’s Neuroma

Metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma are two associated medical conditions that are characterized by heel pain. Morton’s neuroma can be one possible cause of metatarsalgia. However, metatarsalgia is a condition that causes pain and inflammation in the ball of the foot, while Morton’s neuroma is a condition that causes the thickening of the tissue around a nerve in the foot that has been irritated or damaged. So, this is the difference between metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma.

Reference:

1. “Metatarsalgia.” NHS Inform.
2. Hecht, Marjorie. “Morton’s Neuroma: Causes, Treatment, and More.” Healthline, Healthline Media.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Fourth metatarsal bone04 inferior view” By BodyParts3D is made by DBCLS. – Polygon data is from BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 2.1 jp) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Morton’s Neuroma (or, Metatarsalgia)” By bc the path (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) via Flickr