hi Canagirl,

I am sadly, all too familiar with neuromas. I formed a true neuroma on a nerve in my ankle that was partially transected during an ortho procedure and later had a surgical repair on it. A Morton's neuroma is not a true neuroma but a swelling and fibrous growth of irritated nerve. A true neuroma is the result of a nerve being partly or totally cut and forms when the nerve sends out new axons trying to reach its distal segment. When the axons can't get through they ball up like yarn and keep sending out more and more fibers that then get stimulated and fire all on their own. Mine was excruciating and I had intense shooting pains up my calf from it. Often it felt like someone had shoved a large bore hypodermic where the neuroma was and left it there. I was balled up on the couch until it was fixed, though with deficits.

Neuroma do not show up on X-ray and sometimes not on MRI. Nerves do not always show up well on MRI unless they are larger body nerves and the signal is suppressed specifically for them. They can sometimes be visualized on ultrasound but again depends on location and nerve size. It takes some trauma to partly or totally cut a nerve. They stretch well and even can take a puncture from a large blunt needle that tends to push the fibers aside (studies done because of surgical nerve blocks). Acupuncture needles are so small and superficially used, unless you had some special treatment I would think the risk of nerve transaction would be low. It is certainly possible for scar tissue to aggravate, tether or compress a nerve. Do you tend to scar excessively?

I hope this helps,