Treatment

Treatment depends on the severity of your symptoms. Your doctor will likely recommend trying conservative approaches first.

Therapy

Wear shoes with adequate room across the ball of the foot and in the toe. Arch supports and foot pads such as metatarsal pads fit inside your shoe and help reduce pressure on the nerve. These can be purchased over the counter, or your doctor may prescribe a custom-made, individually designed shoe insert — molded to fit the exact contours of your foot.

Surgical and other procedures

If conservative treatments haven't helped, your doctor might suggest:

• Injections. Some people are helped by the injection of steroids into the painful area.
• Decompression surgery. In some cases, surgeons can relieve the pressure on the nerve by cutting nearby structures, such as the ligament that binds together some of the bones in the front of the foot.
• Removal of the nerve. Surgical removal of the growth may be necessary if other treatments fail to provide pain relief. Although surgery is usually successful, the procedure can result in permanent numbness in the affected toes.