Letizia Ortiz, Queen of Spain, will undergo surgery to treat chronic forefoot pain caused by Morton’s neuroma. But what is it about? Explanations.
- Morton’s neuroma, from which the Queen of Spain suffers, is a disease which affects the metatarsals, or the long bones of the foot, mainly between the third and fourth toe.
- It manifests itself as a tingling sensation, acute pain, electric shocks, numbness under or between the toes.
- In the case of Letizia Ortiz, the infiltrations no longer have any effect against this pathology, so she will have surgery soon.
A complicated medical situation that has reached its limits. According to several Spanish media, including Carasthe Queen of Spain, Letizia Ortiz, presents a disease, called Morton’s neuroma, which has affected her quality of life in recent months. Indeed, “during her recent state trip to the Netherlands, she received guests sitting on a chair, while the others present remained standing. A similar scene occurred in Palma de Mallorca, where she had to leave prematurely an official event, leaving her husband, King Felipe VI, and Queen Emeritus Sofia alone at the reception.” Due to her chronic pain, which has so far been alleviated by infiltrations, she will have to undergo surgery, according to sources close to the royal family.
What is Morton’s neuroma?
Common in women over 50, Morton’s neuroma is a bulge, that is, a nerve thickening caused by irritation of adjacent nerves, which results from impulses from the foot to the ground when walking. The American Hospital of Paris indicates that it is most often located between the 3rd and 4th metatarsal, namely the long bones of the foot. This swelling compressing the nerves causes a tingling sensation underneath and/or between the toes that gets worse over time. The bulge “eventually progresses to a sharper pain or a feeling of electric shocks in the sole of your foot or at the base of your toes. Numbness in the toes may also be felt.” According to the health institution, the pain is worse when walking, standing for a long time or wearing tight shoes. It is reduced when shoes are removed and when you rub your foot.
Morton’s neuroma: minimally invasive surgical techniques without scarring are proposed
In order to treat her Morton’s neuroma, doctors recommended an operation to Letizia Ortiz, who also suffers from chronic metatarsalgia, a condition aggravating the discomfort in her feet which, according to specialists, could be linked to the constant wearing of high heels. Several techniques are proposed to overcome the bulge. At the American Hospital of Paris, “the team practices cryosurgery which consists of simply introducing a special needle through the skin at the level of the foot. At the end of the needle a ball of ice will form which will destroy the superfluous tissues through the cold in order to release the nerve. In the case of this procedure, which lasts approximately 30 minutes, no visible scar is left.
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