Health And Fitness

What is Mortons Neuroma?

A neuroma is identified by a non-cancerous growth of nerve tissue that is capable of growing in any part of the body. Mortons Neuroma is a condition in which compression occurs to the nerve located between the third and fourth metatarsal bones in the foot, producing hardeining of this nerve tissue. As the nerve is compressed, symptoms such as numbness and tingling of the toes begin to occur. These symptoms are more noticeable when there is weight placed on the ball of the foot, producing a noticeable amount of pain.

What Leads to Mortons Neuroma?

Causes of Mortons Neuroma are not entirely clear, but anything that squeezes this nerve can cause this tissue to thicken. Wearing high-heeled shoes that can constrict the toes can be a cause of Mortons Neuroma. Also, it is possible that the condition of flat feet can cause the metatarsals to drop, which places pressure on this nerve. Thickening of this tissue can also be caused by irritation to the nerve or injury.

What Causes Metatarsal Pain?

Another foot condition that is characterized by pain in this are is known as metatarsalgia. This ailment often happens to women who wear high heels, or people who wear shoes with no cushion or arch support. A weakened foot structure can cause the bones in the foot to drop. When we wear shoes that do not provide enough support and cushioning we place excessive pressure on the ball of the foot and we experience pain. Also, people that suffer from excessive pronation can experience ball of foot pain in the ball of their feet. Over-pronation is a condition in which the ankles tend to roll inward and can lead to arch pain.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Mortons Neuroma

Proper diagnosis is the key to determining the correct treatment for this condition. A podiatrist usually examines the foot by pressing on the area of pain, squeezing the toes and pressing into the gap between the third and fourth toes. The doctor can simply feel the neuroma, in most cases. The doctor may also try pushing on the painful area and squeezing the entire foot at the same time to elicit a clicking noise, which is called Mulder’s sign. If the doctor is not able to verify a neuroma, he or she can utilize other tools such as an x-ray to rule out the possibility of any broken bones. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) allows doctors to clearly see a neuroma.

Treatments for Morton’s Neuroma can include several options, from resting the foot to surgery. In many cases the doctor will try the most conservative treatments first. Conservative treatments include resting the feet, wearing more comfortable shoes and trying orthotic shoe inserts to improve arch support. Orthotic arch supports also assist in distributing your weight more evenly over the entire foot, placing less pressure on the ball of the foot. In many cases the combination of these conservative treatments does provide relief from the pain that you may be experiencing. In severe cases, where these options do not work, your doctor may prescribe injections to attempt to reduce the size of the neuroma. In extreme situations, surgery may be the only adequate solution.

Our foot care is an extremely important factor in our overall health and well-being. If you are suffering from severe pain in your feet, it is best to have a physician examine your feet as soon as possible in order to determine the cause.

One microgram of botulinum toxin is lethal to humans. It is one of the most acutely toxic poisons known to mankind and can kill by paralysing musculoskeletal and respiratory systems. Botulinum toxin acts by blocking the release of the chemical neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which relays nerve impulses from the brain to various parts of the body. This prevents nerve impulses from reaching the muscles, causing paralysis.

The anaerobic, Gram positive, spore-forming bacteria Clostridium botulinum is the primary producer of botulinum toxin. Ingesting the spores of Clostridium botulinum causes intestinal botulism or infant botulism, which is one of the kinds of the paralytic disease botulism. Wound botulism is caused when a wound is infected by Clostridium botulinum, while eating food that contains botulinum toxin causes food-borne botulism. Botulism is also known as botulinus intoxication.

The digestive juices of babies less than 12 months of age are less acidic compared to those of adults and older children. This makes them susceptible to intestinal botulism because the lesser acidity impairs the capacity to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores that have been ingested. Botulinum toxin is produced in the infant’s intestines by these spores. Generalized weakness, loss of head control and difficulty feeding following a bout of constipation are the symptoms of infant botulism.

About 12 to 38 hours after eating food that has botulinum toxin, the symptoms of food-borne botulism appear. Some of these symptoms are dryness of the mouth, difficulty in swallowing, weakness of the muscles, drooping of the eyelids, difficulty in breathing, double or blurred vision, slurred speech, incontinence, and diarrhoea. The symptoms of wound botulism are the same but take longer to appear, the onset being between 4 to 14 days after infection.

Botulism can be treated with the use of botulinum antitoxin. Two primary types of antitoxin are available. One of these is trivalent botulinum antitoxin and the other is heptavalent botulinum antitoxin. The administration of antitoxin, coupled with artificial ventilation (as a measure to combat the effect of respiratory paralysis caused by the toxin) until botulinum toxin is completely excreted or metabolised, is effective if treatments are initiated on time.

Heat rapidly destroys botulinum toxin. Thorough cooking eradicates any toxin that is present in food. However, the Clostridium botulinum spores from which the toxin come from are very heat tolerant and will survive even prolonged boiling at 100 degrees Celsius. Proper food handling is required to forestall contamination. Low pH levels, high salt concentration, and proper refrigeration prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum.

Despite the toxicity of botulinum toxin, one of its serologically distinct types, namely, botulinum toxin type A, is used in the treatment of facial lines and wrinkles, certain neurological disorders, and hyperhidrosis. Botox, Dysport, Myobloc, Neurobloc and Xeomin are the brand names under which it is marketed for the treatment of neurological conditions. For cosmetic treatment purposes, it is commercially available under the trade names Botox Cosmetic and Vistabel.

Recently, it was found that botulinum toxin is effective in the treatment and prevention of chronic headaches, as well as chronic musculoskeletal pain, by blocking nerve impulses to the muscles of the affected area. There is an indication that it can help promote weight loss by speeding up gastric emptying time

About the Author: Jane Villardo is a major contributor at www.botoxinjection-facts.com. Helpful facts and advice about botulinum toxin are available at the site.

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