How Long Does a Cortisone Injection Take to Work for Morton's Neuroma?

The injection may include a local anaesthetic, which can numb the forefoot or reduce pain soon after treatment. That sensation is temporary and may fade before the corticosteroid settles irritation around the affected nerve. Morton's neuroma can cause burning, tingling, or a feeling of a pebble under the forefoot, especially when the toes are squeezed by narrow shoes. An injection may reduce symptoms, but it does not guarantee that pressure from footwear or walking mechanics has been corrected.

Follow the clinic's instructions for dressing care and activity after the injection. Choose shoes with enough room for the toes and avoid narrow or high-heeled footwear while the forefoot settles. Increase walking gradually, and stop or reduce an activity that brings back burning pain or numbness. A clinician may discuss padding, footwear changes, or physiotherapy depending on your examination. Note whether symptoms occur at rest, during walking, or only in particular shoes; that pattern can guide the next decision.

Contact the treating service if injection-site pain, redness, warmth, or swelling is increasing, or if fever or feeling unwell develops. Seek urgent care for severe worsening pain, spreading numbness, new weakness, or a foot that becomes cold or changes colour. If there is little or no improvement after the timeframe your clinician gave you, arrange a review to consider other causes and treatment options.

Ask when you can return to longer walks, work shoes, and sport. Clarify which footwear features may reduce pressure, how to respond if numbness persists, and what the next option is if relief is short-lived.