A reader has just been diagnosed with Morton’s neuroma of the foot, a thickening of the tissue around one of the digital nerves leading to the toes, causing her lots of pain.  Custom-made orthotics help, but she would like to find a cure.  She has tried reflexology and acupuncture without success.  Do readers know of any other treatments that may help her?  Her doctor has suggested surgery to cut the nerve or injections to ‘kill’ it, but she would like to avoid both of these treatments if possible.  Any suggestions?

American reader Margaret agrees that you should avoid surgery to treat the problem: “I had one removed from each foot and the result was an escalation of pain that has never diminished,” she reports.  Still, she points out that a friend felt “as good as new” after the same operation, so she advises getting several opinions, including one from a neurological surgeon.  She also recommends investigating something called prolotherapy, also known as nonsurgical ligament reconstruction, which is a treatment for chronic pain.  As Margaret explains, “Specially trained orthopaedists perform prolotherapy.  It is not taught in medical school in the US and was developed in Germany.  At least one book has been written on the subject based on the thesis that most chronic pain is caused by lax ligaments and tendons, which, once overstretched, often do not go back to their original length, i.e., they do not heal, because of little blood flow to them (as opposed to muscles, which have a rich source of blood and thus heal better).”  To find out more see www.getprolo.com or www.prolotherapy.com.