Probably nothing is more painful than a pinched nerve. If the pinching happens in the foot, it can stop you like a frozen bearing. The condition is common and is easily caused by anything that compresses the front of the foot. The nerves in the forefoot are normally as thick as the lead in a mechanical pencil. They pass between the metatarsals on the bottom of the foot in the region of the ball of the foot with no room to spare.
Repetitive compression can lead to thickening of the nerve.
The thickening can progress to the point where the enlarged nerve becomes as big as grape. A nerve that has thickened to that extent is called a neuroma. Neuroma actually means nerve tumor. A painful swollen nerve in the ball of the foot, however, is not a true tumor. It is only an enlargement of the nerve and the nerve sleeve.