My Morton’s neuroma felt like there was a marble embedded in the bottom of my right foot right behind the second and third toes. I quit walking barefooted around the house as the pain was too much to handle. Wearing shoes only helped a little with the pain. I experienced burning, stinging and numbness frequently. More and more I was unable to do the activities that I enjoyed, such as walking for exercise, hiking and Jazzercise. I made the expensive leap to shoes that offered more support as a last ditch effort before going to the doctor. While upgrading to better shoes helped with other foot issues, it did little to help with the neuroma pain.
It has been 4 ½ years since starting the path to healing for my Morton’s neuroma, consequently the details may be a little fuzzy. I believe I first saw Dr. Bocian for this problem in January of 2013. I think we tried a cortisone shot and I returned in 2 months at which time I received another cortisone shot. The shots did not help much and the symptoms readily returned. Dr. Bocian was not willing to keep treating the neuroma with cortisone and we began to discuss laser treatment. It was good to rule out the use of cortisone before progressing to something else.
The laser treatment seemed like a long haul and was kind of discouraging as it was quite a while before I felt improvement. Add to this the expense (because the treatment was not covered by insurance) and the pain experienced intermittently during each laser session and you have a truthful scenario. I say these things not only because they are true, but also to demonstrate that I was committed to giving it a try. I really did not want to have surgery.
This story has a very happy ending, however. After 2 months all pain was gone, and another month later I started dance lessons with my husband so that we could dance at our son’s wedding. I did dance at his wedding and 4 years later now, I am glad to report that the pain has not returned even once. Of course I am extremely satisfied with the results and would definitely recommend the laser treatment for Morton’s neuroma to anyone wanting to be rid of this painful problem without surgery.
Update – May 2018
Another year has passed and all is well. There’s not a trace of the neuroma. I am increasingly happy with the decision to use the laser treatment versus surgery.
A friend of mine has suffered with her Morton’s neuroma for some time now and was quite interested in my recommendation of laser treatment for the condition. Her interest, however, turned to dismay when I mentioned that the procedure is not approved for insurance. She simply cannot afford the laser treatment. Will she succumb to surgery simply because it is the only option her insurance will cover?
Jeneanne R.
Tucson, AZ
05/17/18