Freezing foot pain: new study tests cryoablation for Morton's neuroma
NCT ID NCT05501262
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Morton's neuroma causes burning or shooting pain in the ball of the foot, often in middle-aged women. This study compares freezing the nerve (cryoablation) plus a steroid/lidocaine injection against the injection alone. 32 adults who haven't improved with orthotics or pads will be followed for pain, function, and quality of life over time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- cryoablation (freezing) using the ICE-Seed needle plus steroid and lidocaine injection
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could offer a more effective, less invasive option for Morton's neuroma pain that hasn't improved with conservative care.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-stage study (32 people) comparing two treatments, so results may not apply widely. Cryoablation carries risks like numbness or nerve damage, and the benefit over steroid alone is not yet proven.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 32 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jul 2022
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 105 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age \>18 years * Able to consent and complete questionnaires * Failure of a four-week trial of conservative therapy (includes orthotics, appropriate footwear, and/or metatarsal pads) * X-ray and ultrasound excluding other pathology and confirming the presence and location of a Morton's neuroma Exclusion Criteria: * Inability to follow-up or to comply with the follow-up protocol * Contraindication to cryoablation and/or lidocaine/steroid injection * Other pathology which could account for symptoms identified on imaging studies * Unwillingness to be randomized
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Oregon Health Sciences University
RECRUITINGPortland, Oregon, 97239, United States
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