Kindle Book - now online!

Hello Everyone,
This will be our final post on this site. We are pleased to announce that the book is now available on paperback and Kindle!

Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram at BeatingMN.

Here's to your foot health!

Shane

Feedback from you!

Hi everyone,
All is well on this end with the PAST Morton's Neuroma...but I wanted to check in with all of you, my readers from various countries, to see how things were going.  I get emails and Google Hangout blips from time to time, but I would love to hear a few things from YOU:

• Are you currently struggling with a painful MN?
• What have you investigated so far, in terms of correction?
• Are any of you using any of the shoes I have listed?
• Have any of you done the sclerosing, and if so, how is that going?
• How did you find this blog?
• Has this blog been of any help?
• Or any other info you want to share.

As I mentioned, my neuroma is completely gone.  I have been able to run and lift in my VFF (my favorite shoe for Arizona) frequently.  It is such a blessing to be able to say that and share that success.  Hopefully you are able to share in it as well.

God speed,

Shane

Working out! An update.

Well, as many of you might have figured out on your own, my updates are becoming less frequent due to the healing of the Morton's Neuroma I had!  So, with it being healed comes all of the things I was able to do before - working out, any outdoor activities with my friends or family, and simply enjoying the "normal" things.  So, I thank God that those troubling times of the MN are behind me.  But I am still hoping and praying that people find this blog, because I think this type of combination that I used allows the person to take a smarter approach to recovery without surgery, BUT this method also allows the person to come into a proper understanding of what he/she should be putting on their feet.

So, back to the update of working out: for a while now, I have been able to fully function for physical activity.  Lifting, running, etc.  I will admit, at first I had a bit of "I better ease into this" attitude, because I had been farting around with that MN for so long it had almost become a habit to be concerned with the "what if's" of if it gets strained or inflamed again.  But I am happy to say it hasn't.  I have been wearing my VFF, Altra, and Vivobarefoot shoes, and barefoot when I can, and things have gone beautifully.  And I will still wear my correct toes every now and then, but the frequency is decreasing now that the supportive tissues are strong and positioned properly.

Anyway, I hope this info can be shared by you to others that need it, because, again, the whole reason I started this was that I had a feeling, from all of the info I was reading online before, that people were not able to really overcome the MN they were suffering with, and it is beyond frustrating.  Especially when podiatrists might be trying to slam you right into orthotics and then putting you right into crappy shoes again.  Good podiatry means hearing your concerns, looking at the evidence and history of your feet, watching you walk, looking at the shoes you wear, and trying to work backwards for a real restoration of the foot, instead of just trying to mask the symptom or the pain, which would only be temporary.  You will know you are are at the right podiatrist office if they take the time with you and aren't trying to push you into buying something right away.

So, that's an update for anyone interested, as well as some info that might help you if you're working with a podiatrist.  

Bless you all,

Shane

Vivobarefoot Evo Lite

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to share an update - I recently found an awesome deal on amazon and was able to snag these bad boys for about $60!  Retail is normally $130.  

As you know, my foot is doing awesome, and these Vivobarefoot Evo Lites are great for a couple reasons:

1. I can wear my Correct Toes in them (I still wear them because I believe it still helps my foot anatomy.  It took years to get jacked up, and it will probably take a year to get back to a true natural state).
2. They look great.  It's good to have footwear like this because it is also a great conversation starter if you want an ice breaker to help people realize they might be wearing expensive garbage for shoes.
3. They are zero-drop and they have wide toe boxes.  Very natural layout and design.  Big score there.

So, as you can imagine, if you happen to be in the market for good shoes, I still suggest the Altra brand, as well as Lems, but these Evo Lites are really sharp and they might be a great match for some of you.  You can read the reviews on amazon to determine your sizing.  I normally wear a U.S 12.5 or 13, and I ordered these in the 47, which is also what I wear for my Vibram Five Fingers.

Be well!

More progress

So, I figured I would get another update on here for everyone.  Since my last post I have moved from Kansas to Arizona.  As you can imagine, that put quite a strain on my foot.  However, I am pleased to tell you that it held up beautifully.  In fact, I think it actually helped the process along in terms of properly strengthening the tendons in my left foot.  Here's why - as I mentioned before, I still wear my Correct Toes, and I was even wearing them while moving heavy items.  By allowing proper toe splay, I believe the foot position experienced more natural movement and contraction of muscle tissue.

Anyhow, long story short, I still stand by the approach I took toward restoring my Morton's Neuroma.

Be blessed! 

Injection #3: Done!

I just left my podiatrist's office after my third dehydrated alcohol injection for my Morton's Neuroma.  He tries to keep the maximum number for any patient at 3.  Which, by the way, if you are in the Kansas City/Overland Park area and need what I consider a good podiatrist that will take time with you, Dr. Jacob Goldstein in Gardner is someone I would recommend.  Granted, I don't know his position on everything, but I think he tries to do his best with people.

Anyway, before I went in for this injection, for the last couple of days I have been at approximately 60% decrease in Neuroma sensitivity and pain, overall, which is HUGE in my book.  Especially since so many people claim to have long, drawn out timelines, most of which have very little success, eventually leading them to surgery...which seems to have a low satisfaction rate by patients.  And in some cases, they have recurring nerve problems due to "stumps" and other soft tissue dilemmas.

Either way, as I said from the beginning, I will beat this thing, and I hope to help other people that need a real way to stop the root cause immediately and get the nerve and foot anatomy back to a position where lifestyle does not take a backseat!       

Continued Progress

I'm glad to say that, so far after injection #2, my nerve is feeling about 30 to 40% better.  I'm experiencing less sensitivity than I had been about a week ago which is a win in my book, atleast for now.  I'm looking forward to my next injection on Tuesday due to the overall progress to date.

With that said, I believe that the alcohol injection is only part of the reason for the progress. I firmly believe that the footwear modifications I have made, in addition to being barefoot and wearing my Correct Toes as much as possible, have helped create a synergistic environment for the overall situation with the nerve.  Funny enough, I actually took a look at my wife's feet and bought Correct Toes for her, because she was not aware of her footwearproblems and how her feet were in great need of readjustment, so to speak.

Anyway, good news on all fronts, and I believe the war is just about won...without going into anything drastic, like surgical removal. 

Second injection

So, I just had alcohol injection #2.  It's been a total of ten days since the first injection.  Overall, the decrease of pain in my Morton's Neuroma has been about 10 to 15 percent.  For the past month I have avoided working out, and running, to avoid any further scar tissue from gathering on the nerve.  I continue to wear my Teva sandals because they offer a very wide toe box, and they are open toe, which allows me to wear my Correct Toes during the day.   This thing will be beat without surgery!

Blog Dedication & Disclaimer

Dear Visitors,
This blog is dedicated to people that have, or believe they have, a Morton's Neuroma.  It is also dedicated to keeping up to date with current victories and effective treatment plans for any types of symptom reversal.  As someone that currently has a MN in my left foot, my end goal is really for people to have a hub where there are more posts related to beating MN vs posts where people are complaining about it.  Make no mistake, MN is a pain in the foot, but also a huge pain in the butt.  And during my research, when I first started looking for help, most of what I came across online was blog sites related that just had thread after thread of complaining, but hardly any worth while posts or feeds about actually reversing the neuroma.  That's where this site comes in.  

And, I ask that you share this blog with your friends and family, regardless of age nor activity level.  As you'll read in the other pages, foot ailments and symptoms should really be avoidedat the root level - the footwear!  
   One thing I also want to point out is that I am a conservative/natural type of guy.  I am not sold on going straight to surgery or medication or orthotics right away.  I believe too many folks are getting pushed into the podiatrist factory line of "Oh, well, let's get an x-ray, and over to your right you will find some orthopedic shoes that we'll probably suggest for your orthotics."  I simply don't believe that is the best route for long term correction and restoration of the nerve.  

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and anything posted within this website is merely a breakdown of my own experience with my own MN, as well as information or products that I feel are worthy of sharing that I have discovered through hours of research since I started having pain and symptoms in early 2014.  As always, consult your physician before attempting to put into practice anything you read online, even if "it" has worked for someone else.  Especially since Morton's Neuroma symptoms can vary or be misdiagnosed on occasion.

Cheers! And here's to beating this thing with non-invasive, conservative and natural methods...