Intermetatarsal bursitis

Last revised by Joshua Yap on 13 Jul 2022

Intermetatarsal bursitis is a common cause of metatarsalgia and is frequently associated with Morton neuromas and plantar plate tears

Symptoms include forefoot pain, feeling of walking a lump, swelling and/or tingling 2

Fluid collections between the metatarsal heads; fluid collections <3 mm may be physiological 1,2.

  • hypoechoic, compressible soft tissue structure in the webspace
  • hyperemia may be present on color Doppler
  • T1: low signal
  • T2: high signal
  • T1 C+ (Gd): thin peripheral enhancement
  • physiological fluid in the intermetatarsal bursa should be considered if <3 mm
  • Morton neuroma
    • non-compressible solid mass on ultrasound
    • enhancing mass on MRI
    • often occurs in association with intermetatarsal bursitis

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