20 Dec Do You Have Shooting Pain on the Top of Your Foot?

Do You Have Shooting Pain on the Top of Your Foot?
Dorsal neuritis or neuralgia is a foot condition which results in burning, tingling, numbness, and sharp/shooting pain on the top part of your foot. This problem may occur with regular shoegear but also with more constrictive foot ware such as ski boots, climbing shoes, or skates. The cause of this painful problem is due to compression or impingement of a sensory nerve or nerve branch located on the dorsal (top) of your foot. Let’s go over some anatomy: The main nerves which innervate the skin of the dorsal foot (going from the inside to the outside part of the foot) are the: medial dorsal cutaneous nerve, intermediate dorsal cutaneous nerve, and sural nerve. Any one of these nerves may be afflicted, causing pain.

Causes:
One of the most common causes of dorsal neuritis/neuralgia is pressure from tight shoes. Over-tightening shoe laces or wearing shoes which are too small or shoes with limited toe box room can all cause compression of dorsal nerves. To avoid these problems, wear appropriately sized shoes, avoid shoes with firm tongues and pick shoes with padded tongues, and re-route laces by skipping eyelets so the laces do not cross the painful aspect of your foot. Nerve pain on the top of your foot can also be caused by a structural abnormality such as a bone spur or a cyst or other lesion which contributes pressure to an adjacent nerve.

Treatments:
Treatment options vary depending upon the root cause of the dorsal neuritis. As mentioned, shoegear changes can reduce symptoms. If a bone spur on the top of the foot is the culprit, padding may help but surgery may ultimately be indicated to remove the bone spur. Patients with a cyst may require aspiration of the fluid and/or steroid injection in order to shrink the cyst and alleviate symptoms. If this fails to work, surgery can be considered. In either case, non-invasive laser therapy may also be helpful.

If these uncomfortable symptoms sound familiar to you and have been present too long, please give us a call so we may help you.