I've been a social dancer for two years and am now taking private lessons in addition to group with instructors at our Art Center. I've had minor problems with my feet, but since I'm dancing more, it's gotten worse. I rotate between several pairs of 1 1/2"- 2 1/2 shoes, open toe and closed practice Saddle Shoe/Latin styles. The pain makes me have to stop dancing and take my shoe off. Once the nerve doesn't have pressure on it, the pain goes away. I need to find a way to keep dancing, but address the problem. What's intermittent now could become constant. Rest,ice and proper shoes are the key.

Are there better, lower, supportive (i.e. ugly) practice shoes I should be buying? I've been invited to dance in an exhibition with my instructor so I'm really excited but know that I have to nip this in the bud before it becomes chronic. Any suggestions? Sadly, I will cut back a bit for the next few weeks and I hope this helps.

Others are better qualified to recommend shoes. My purpose is to mention what you probably already know: Morton's Neuroma frequently leads to surgery. My wife (and regualar dance partner) has had surgery for Morton's Neuroma. After the surgery (a) there was no numb area of her foot, and (b) it didn't interfere with her dancing. Good luck to you.

Thanks for the reply NL, I'm hoping to prevent this from worsening. I believe with changing my lesson schedule and better cushioning and support I can address this. I had some minor issues years ago and stopped wearing those walking shoes. I don't have problems with my regular shoes and I think a new pair of dance shoes and gel inserts will help. For a few weeks I was dancing MUCH more than normal, had gotten a new pair of shoes which made it flare up and did a lot of walking on vacation. I hadn't realized how far this could progress, so once I got more info, it hit home and I hope these changes help. A local vendor has some shoes for me to try so maybe with a double-soled shoe and/or a jazz sneaker for some practices I'll be fine.

Glad to hear your wife's surgery went so well. My sister's didn't, which is what makes me want to get the nerves settled down ASAP.

I was diagnosed with Morton's Neuroma and was prescribed set of specially made orthotics for my shoes. They made a huge difference right away. I switched to dancing in low heeled practice shoes, most of the time. I now can wear latin shoes at social occasions with very little pain. My standard shoes have 2 inch heels and my latin shoes have 2.5 inch heels. I have still have some pain if I dance seriously longer than a hour but not much and certainly something i can deal with. Look into special orthotics made for this disorder, they are expensive but worth every penny.

Dancelady, I'm glad to hear you had success. I just spent an hour looking online for shoes and am working with a local supplier. The good news is I finally found my regular "pretty shoes" in a much lower heel. I'm using a 2.5 and I found it in a 1.3 Cuban or 1.5 medium heel. I used gel soles yesterday in an older pair of stretched out shoes and that really helped. I hope I'm years away from needing custom-made orthotics. I've worked in the medical field for 30 years so that helped me recognize this quickly. I would really love to go with the Cuban heel, rather than the wider medium heel. Do you recommend the wider, medium heel for stability? I much prefer the narrower style but I'll sacrifice beauty for safety if necessary. I just wish I could find the double soled shoes in the style I want and color. I want nude/tan/copper, not black.