When Patients Experience Numb Toes After Cortisone Injections For Neuromas

A patient contacted me after having a cortisone injection a month prior for a neuroma. While the patient is “super happy” that the pain is gone and he can walk several miles in wide-toed shoes with arch supports, he still has toe numbness.

At first, the patient thought the numbness meant that the neuroma wasn't quite better since that was an early symptom. However, his doctor told him numbness in the toe is normal and additional injections would only cause more numbness.

What can you tell patients who are concerned about numbness? I would emphasize that any abnormal pressure on the nerve from the bones and swelling can cause numbness, pain or a combination. In this patient’s case, the pressure of walking and possibly some other cause of nerve tension (low back) could be causing the numbness with the pain from the swelling pushing against the nerve. All the cortisone did was shrink down the swelling that was causing the pain. However, one may advise the patient that the pressure against the nerve is still there so the numbness remains.

Part of this patient’s treatment should be metatarsal supports behind the nerve to take some pressure off the nerve, a look at the low back or other sources of nerve irritation, or an understanding of what stresses out the sciatic nerve and how to avoid it. Perhaps the numbness will slowly get better.

Editor’s note: This blog originally appeared at https://www.drblakeshealingsole.com/2016/12/cortisone-helps-pain-from-neuroma-but.html . It is reprinted with permission from the author.