Massage For Morton’s Neuroma Treatment (These Massage Mistakes Can Make It Worse!)

Can Massage Treatment Help Morton’s Neuroma?

There are different types of massage for Morton’s Neuroma:

• Massage for pain relief
• Massage for breaking down scar tissue after Morton’s Neuroma surgery
• Massage plus stretching for general foot wellbeing

Self Massage For Pain Relief

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This type of massage is one of the home treatments for Morton’s Neuroma. It is meant to provide temporary pain relief to the compressed nerve. When you feel that burning pain, simply removing your shoe and giving yourself a massage will bring you significant relief. Self-massage should be your first and trusted approach to pain relief because it gives you a temporary solution.

You cant always be visiting a massage therapist every time you get pain. However, that doesn’t mean that you should never have your feet professionally massaged.

Massage By The Therapist

I believe it is a great idea to have a special treat for your feet every now and then. Let’s face it, with or without Morton’s Neuroma pain, your feet need a well-deserved break and special care because we do so much on our feet! With Morton’s neuroma pain, your feet need even more love from you.

My advice is to always tell the masseur about your neuroma so that they handle your feet with care. I lift weights for exercise and usually get deep tissue massage every 2 weeks. You know how painful that can be. I personally wouldn’t want too much probing near my neuroma. I just fear that it could make my neuroma worse and most doctors don’t recommend excessive probing.

In fact, according to The Center For Morton’s  Neuroma, massage techniques that apply too much pressure on the foot are not recommended as these can actually add to the nerve compression, thereby causing more damage to the nerve.

Instead, it is recommended that the best way to massage the foot is to use the separating techniques to encourage the spreading and mobilization of the metatarsal heads in order to decompress the nerve.

How To Decompress The Neuroma Through Massage

1. Pull the metatarsal heads apart and hold them in the pulled position to help stretch the foot muscles. This technique will work better when combined with toe spacers.

2. Deep stripping massage along the length of the medial and lateral plantar nerves as well as the tibial nerve.

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For me, this second suggested massage technique is actually an eye-opener. I have had Morton’s Neuroma since early 2008. Lately, I have been experiencing weird leg pain, especially after a long wark or cycling.  Now I know that it is most probably a pain in my tibial nerve.

It gets so bad that I can barely move. This suggests that I am way overdue for proper medical treatment for Motorn’s Neuroma.

Massage For Morton’s Neuroma Surgery Scar

Here we look at acceptable massage techniques for Morton’s Neurectomy scar.  Guy and St. Thomas advice that you should begin massaging your scar a month after neurectomy when the wound has completely healed. This will soften the scar and reduce sensitivity.

It is very important that scar massage is done when the incision has healed fully. Otherwise massaging too early may lead to wound reopening and an infection.

Also, don’t wait too long. Scar tissue older than 2 years will be difficult to manage.

Benefits Of Massaging Your Neurectomy Scar

• Reduces scar tissue build-up. Excessive scar tissue can stiffen and weaken your muscles. In some cases can need scar tissue removal surgery!
• Can drain excess fluid to reduce swelling
• It can help you regain feeling in the area and decrease tingling, numbness, and soreness.
• Helps in improving blood flow, which promotes healing and makes the scar soft
• Improves range of movement and your scar’s suppleness, making movement less restrictive
• May help improve the appearance of the scar.

How to Massage Your Neurectomy Scar At Home

• It is advised that you massage your scar 2 -3 times daily for about 10 -15 minutes in the early healing days

• Smear a non-perfumed Vitamin E oil or lotion onto your scar.  Massaging with a lubricant moisturizes the skin and reduces friction. Vitamin E helps to build collagen.
• Use the pad of your thumb to, firmly but gently massage in a circular motion. Press hard enough but do not cause pain.
• Massage the scar clockwise, working your way up and around the scar easily yet maintaining firm pressure. Change and massage counter-clockwise. This technique will help drain excess fluid from the scar area.
• Then, gently stretch the skin around your scar apart (carefully to avoid any tearing) and continue massaging with a firm circular motion using your thumb.
• Gradually slide your finger up and down the scar while applying pressure.

Frequently Asked Questions About Morton’s Neuroma Massage

1. Does massage help Morton’s Neuroma?

Yes,

A simple self-massage at the ball of your foot will provide quick but temporary relief from Morton’s Neuroma pain. You don’t necessarily have to pay a professional massage therapist for this because it does not heal your neuroma. It is only a temporary measure.

Remember, massage is also helpful for breaking down scar tissue if you had your neuroma surgically removed. However, it is always important to consult with your doctor and seek advice on the best way to massage your neuroma or scar because some massage techniques will actually aggravate your situation.

2. Can Chiropractic Help Morton’s Neuroma?

Well…,

Podiatrist D. Cashley conducted a study on 38 patients in 2015. The results of the study indicated that after 6chiropractic  treatments, 79% of the participants were pain-free. About 10% experienced mild discomfort only after a long walk. On the other hand, 5% of the patients reported that their pain was worse than before.

What these results mean is that to some greater extent chiropractic treatment may help Morton’s Neuroma. Five percent of 38 is 2 people.

Please note that this treatment does not get rid of Morton’s neuroma. It may provide some relief but the neuroma remains.

3. Does Reflexology Help Morton’s Neuroma?

Yes,

But reflexology will only provide temporary pain relief. If your feet get subjected to further pressure, the pain will come back.

I found this video of a reflexologist showing his 2 methods of foot stretching for Morton’s Neuroma (@ 1:52)

Conclusion

Massage can help Morton’s Neuroma by providing temporary pain relief to the neuroma foot. Massage can also help in the post-operation stage for proper scar healing and preventing excessive development of scar tissue. This itself can take you back to the horrible foot discomfort that you were trying to escape by having a surgery in the first place.

Too much scar tissue may be so bad that it requires surgery of its own. Now that double surgery and you definitely don’t want that!

Whether you seek relief from Morton’s  Neuroma pain or trying to deal with the neurectomy scar, medical experts advise that you use appropriate massage techniques to avoid stressing your foot even more and causing further damage.

From me to you:

Morton’s Neuroma is enough of a menace by itself.

Always seek your doctor’s opinion before embarking on any other alternative treatments that may pose potential threats to the well being of your feet.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed this post.

Please share your views, experiences, anything at all in the comment section below.

I wish you a pain-free life!