Results of excision of the interdigital nerve in the treatment of Morton's metatarsalgia.

Thirty-one patients (thirty-two feet) had excision of the interdigital nerve as treatment of their Morton's metatarsalgia. A longitudinal dorsal incision was used in all cases. Twenty-five out of 32 cases had a macroscopically visible neuroma, and only two had no evidence of a neuroma on histological examination. All thirty-two patients were available for follow-up at an average of 44.7 months (range 14 to 71 months) postoperatively. Eighty-one per cent of the patients had a good or excellent result, 12.5% had a fair result, with residual pain and some restriction of activities, and 6.5% had no improvement after their operation. It is noteworthy that 19 patients (60%) benefitted from wearing adapted shoes or inner soles for a considerable time after the operation. Even at final follow-up, only 10 patients (30%) had no restrictions in the choice of their shoes.