Facts about Morton’s neuroma #3: location of foot neuromas

Reviewed by Janet D. Pearl, MD, MSc

Does Morton’s neuroma occur in all the metatarsal spaces of the foot? Where do they occur most frequently?

Neuromas occur in all the metatarsal spaces of the foot. (The metatarsal spaces are also known as the interphalangeal joint spaces or the webspaces of the foot.)

  • 72% of all the neuromas are located in the third metatarsal space (between the third and fourth metatarsal head).
  • 30% of all the Morton’s neuroma are reported in the 2nd metatarsal space
  • 5% in the 4th metatarsal space
  • 2% in the 1st metatarsal space (known as a Joplin’s Neuroma)

(Not all the articles reviewed had statistics on each web space which is why the total does not add to 100%.)

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