Pain After Morton’s Neuroma Surgery | Stump Neuroma
Pain After Morton's Neuroma Surgery
Had surgery for Morton’s neuroma but still have pain — or worse pain than before? You are not alone. This is one of the most under-recognized and under-treated conditions in foot surgery.
What Is a Stump Neuroma?
When a nerve is cut during neurectomy (nerve removal surgery), the cut end of the nerve does not simply heal quietly. In many patients, the nerve attempts to regenerate — growing outward in a disorganized, bulbous mass called a stump neuroma.
This stump neuroma sits in the scar tissue of the surgical site, where it is susceptible to pressure, movement, and entrapment — often producing pain that is as severe as — or worse than — the original Morton’s neuroma.
Symptoms of Stump Neuroma
- Burning or electric pain in the ball of the foot after prior surgery
- Tenderness at the surgical site when pressed
- Numbness combined with sharp pain (anaesthesia dolorosa)
- Pain that never fully resolved after the original procedure
- Symptoms that returned weeks or months after seeming to improve
Why Dr. Bregman Specializes in These Cases
Revision neuroma surgery is technically demanding. The anatomy has been disrupted, scar tissue has formed, and standard approaches often fail.
Dr. Bregman has developed specific techniques for evaluating and treating stump neuroma and failed neuroma surgery — including nerve relocation, targeted decompression of the stump, and in selected cases, nerve grafting.
He regularly receives referrals for patients who have had one or more prior surgeries without relief.
Important: If you have had a neurectomy and your pain has returned or worsened, do not have repeat neurectomy without a second opinion. Each additional resection makes the case more complex.
Treatment Options for Failed Neuroma Surgery
Treatment depends on what was done previously, the location of the stump, and the patient’s specific presentation. Options Dr. Bregman evaluates include:
- Ultrasound-guided evaluation — to precisely locate the stump neuroma and assess surrounding tissue
- Targeted nerve block — diagnostic and therapeutic; confirms the stump as the pain generator
- Stump neuroma excision with relocation — removing the stump and burying the nerve end in a protected location
- Scar tissue release — addressing fibrosis that may be entrapping the nerve remnant
- Regenerative approaches — in appropriate candidates
Every case is evaluated individually. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to failed neuroma surgery.
Had Prior Surgery With No Relief?
Dr. Bregman offers thorough evaluations for patients with pain after Morton’s neuroma surgery. Patients travel from across the US and internationally for complex revision cases. A second opinion before further surgery is always advisable.
Related: Regenerative Medicine for Revision Cases
For patients undergoing revision surgery after a failed neurectomy, Dr. Bregman routinely incorporates placental-derived biologic tissue at the surgical site. These regenerative products help retard scar tissue formation and create a more favorable healing environment in tissue that has already been operated on once.