MSK Scans · Plantar Fascia, Neuromas & Forefoot

Private Foot Ultrasound Scan in London

Heel pain, forefoot pain and lumps assessed where they actually are — millimetres beneath the skin, with pressure applied to reproduce your symptoms.

  • 30-minute appointment — unhurried, where most clinics allow 20
  • Plantar fascia measured and compared with your other foot
  • Neuromas located by web space, with pressure applied
  • Findings at the scan; written report usually within two hours
  • No GP referral required — self-refer today
£169foot ultrasound examination · report and images included
Book Your Foot Scan
Call 0203 051 6506

CQC-registered clinic · Provider ID 1-2775844974 · HCPC-registered sonographers

30Minutes · Unhurried Examination
£169Report & Images Included
4.9 ★476 Google Reviews
0Radiation · Completely Safe
The Basics

What is a foot ultrasound scan?

A foot ultrasound examines the plantar fascia under the heel, the nerves between the toes, the plantar plates under the toe joints, the tendons around the foot, and any lump or swelling you have noticed. Everything here sits millimetres beneath the skin, which plays directly to ultrasound’s strengths.

It also works under pressure. We can squeeze across the forefoot while scanning to reproduce the click that comes from a neuroma being compressed — something no static image can do, and often what confirms the diagnosis.

Indications

Why might I need a foot scan?

Two stories bring most people here. The first is sharp pain under the heel on the first steps in the morning, easing after a few minutes of walking — the classic plantar fascia pattern. The second is burning or shooting pain in the ball of the foot with numb toes, worse in narrow shoes.

That second story gets labelled Morton’s neuroma more often than it is one. The joints, the plantar plates that stabilise them, and the bursae all sit in the same small area and produce overlapping symptoms — which is exactly why imaging that separates them is worth having.

Bare feet stepping onto a wooden floor in the morning before a foot ultrasound scan

Common reasons to book

  • Sharp heel pain on the first steps in the morning
  • Burning or shooting pain in the ball of the foot
  • Numbness in the toes, worse in tight shoes
  • A sensation like a pebble underfoot
  • Pain under one toe joint, with the toe starting to drift
  • Months of rehabilitation that has not shifted heel pain
What we assess

  • Plantar fascia thickness at the heel attachment
  • Degenerative change and partial tears in the fascia
  • Each web space, with pressure applied to reproduce symptoms
  • Neuromas measured and located by web space
  • Plantar plates under each toe joint
  • Bursae between the metatarsal heads
  • The other foot for comparison where it helps
Foot pain that needs a doctor first

A hot, red, swollen foot with fever, foot pain in someone with diabetes or reduced sensation, or pain that stops you weight bearing after an injury needs prompt medical assessment rather than a booked scan. Diabetic foot problems in particular are assessed urgently through your GP or diabetes team.

Suitability

Is this scan suitable for me?

A foot ultrasound is a good fit if any of these sound like you:

  • ✓Your heel hurts most on the first steps of the day
  • ✓You have burning or shooting pain in the ball of the foot
  • ✓Your toes go numb in narrow shoes
  • ✓There is a lump you want identified
  • ✓A toe has started to lift or drift sideways
  • ✓Months of sensible rehabilitation have not helped

And when it is not the right booking

Pain worsens steadily through a run rather than easing — that pattern can indicate a bone stress injury, which needs X-ray or MRI. Ultrasound will not show it.

You want a heel spur assessed — spurs are an X-ray finding, and largely a red herring — they are common in people with no pain at all.

You have diabetes and a new foot problem — that needs prompt assessment through your GP or diabetes team rather than a private scan.

Book your foot scan — £169Not sure? Call 0203 051 6506

If a foot ultrasound is not the right test for you, we will say so before you book — not after.

Your Appointment

What happens on the day

  1. 1
    Arrive — no preparation neededNothing to fast for. The appointment is 30 minutes.
  2. 2
    Show us exactly wherePoint to it. Which toes, which part of the heel, and when it hurts most — the timing pattern is often diagnostic in itself.
  3. 3
    Scanning the heelLying face down with feet over the end of the couch. The plantar fascia is measured at its attachment and compared with your other foot.
  4. 4
    Scanning the forefootEach web space examined from above and below, with pressure applied across the foot to reproduce symptoms where that helps.
  5. 5
    Plantar plates and lumpsThe plantar plate under each relevant toe joint assessed, and any lump characterised properly.
  6. 6
    Findings explained on screenYou see what we see during the scan, with the written report usually with you within two hours.
Plantar plate injury is mistaken for a neuroma constantly — same area, overlapping symptoms, entirely different treatment. Telling them apart is the single most useful thing a forefoot scan does.
Clinical Education

Understanding the foot

Three structures in a small space, and how imaging separates them.

The plantar fascia

A thick band running from the heel bone to the toes, supporting the arch. Overload it and the attachment at the heel thickens — measurable on ultrasound, and best judged against your other foot.

The interdigital nerves

Nerves running between the metatarsals can thicken where they are compressed, most often between the third and fourth toes. Squeezing across the foot during the scan reproduces the click that confirms it.

The plantar plates

Ligaments under each toe joint that keep the toe stable and straight. Damaged, they cause pain under the joint and the toe can start to lift or drift — frequently mistaken for a neuroma.

Your Results

What your report might say

Normal fascia and no neuromaA documented baseline. Where symptoms persist, it points attention elsewhere — often towards a nerve higher up, or a bone problem needing a different test.

Thickened plantar fascia, or a neuroma identifiedThe commonest findings, and usually managed without surgery. The report gives the fascia thickness, or the neuroma’s size and which web space it sits in — the detail a podiatrist or surgeon needs.

A plantar plate injury or a finding needing a specialistNamed specifically rather than lumped in with neuroma. It changes the treatment entirely, and the report is written for a podiatrist or foot surgeon to act on.

Heel spurs are not the cause of heel pain. They are common in people with no symptoms at all, they do not show on ultrasound, and removing one is rarely the answer. Footwear, loading and patience do more.

Know which structure it is

Plantar fascia measured, every web space examined with pressure applied, and plantar plates assessed — explained on screen as we scan.

Book Your Foot Scan — £169Call 0203 051 6506
From Our Practice

How we scan feet

Scanned by the person reporting it

The sonographer who scans you writes your report. Nothing goes to a remote reader.

Assessed under pressure

We squeeze across the forefoot while scanning to reproduce your symptoms — a static image cannot do that.

Both feet when it helps

Fascia thickness varies between people; your own other foot is the best reference.

Neuroma located by web space

Size and position stated precisely, because that is what determines treatment options.

FAQs

Foot ultrasound — your questions answered

Do I need a scan for plantar fasciitis?
Usually not initially — the first-step-in-the-morning history is characteristic and treatment starts without imaging. A scan helps when the story does not fit, when nerve symptoms are present, or when months of rehabilitation have not shifted it.
Is a heel spur causing my pain?
Almost certainly not. Spurs are common in people with no heel pain at all, and they do not show on ultrasound — they are an X-ray finding. Removing one is rarely the answer.
Can ultrasound diagnose Mortons neuroma?
Yes — it shows the thickened nerve, measures it, and identifies which web space it is in. It can also apply pressure during the scan to reproduce your symptoms, which supports the diagnosis in a way a still image cannot.
What is a plantar plate injury?
Damage to the ligament under a toe joint that keeps the toe stable. It causes pain under the joint and the toe can start to lift or drift sideways. It is frequently mistaken for a neuroma, and ultrasound tells them apart.
How long does heel pain take to settle?
Often several months, sometimes longer. Most people improve substantially with consistent loading work and footwear changes, but the timeline tests patience and slow progress is not failure.
Will wider shoes fix forefoot pain?
Footwear with a broad toe box and lower heel takes pressure off the forefoot, and for many people that plus offloading is genuinely enough. It is the sensible first step before anything invasive.
Can you inject it during the scan?
No — we provide diagnostic imaging only. Our report gives your podiatrist or foot surgeon the location and measurements they need if an injection or surgery is being considered.
Could it be a nerve problem rather than the fascia?
Yes. Burning, tingling or numbness spreading into the sole points at a nerve rather than the fascia, and the treatment differs. Mention those symptoms when you book so we assess for it specifically.
Do I need a GP referral?
No. You can book directly, and the report is written so your GP, podiatrist or surgeon can act on it.
When will I get my report?
Findings are explained on screen during the scan, and the written report is usually with you within two hours.
Related Services

Other MSK scans we offer

AnkleAnkle Ultrasound Scan

Achilles tendon, ligaments and tendons around the ankle.

See the scan →
KneeKnee Ultrasound Scan

Tendons, ligaments, bursae and Baker cysts assessed under load.

See the scan →
All MSKAll MSK Scans

The full range of musculoskeletal ultrasound we offer.

See scans →

Further reading: heel pain and forefoot pain and Morton’s neuroma.

Location

Where can you get a foot ultrasound in London?

Our clinic is at 5a Lucerne Mews, Kensington, London W8 4ED — a quiet mews three minutes on foot from Notting Hill Gate, serving Kensington, Notting Hill, Holland Park, Bayswater and central London.

Short-notice appointments are often available, including for people facing a long wait elsewhere. Call 0203 051 6506 for today’s availability.

Getting here

By tube: Notting Hill Gate — three minutes’ walk.

By bus: Routes along Notting Hill Gate and Kensington Church Street stop nearby.

By car: On-street parking nearby — full options in directions & parking.

Book Your Scan

Assessed where it actually hurts

Plantar fascia measured, every web space examined with pressure applied and plantar plates assessed in a 30-minute appointment — explained on screen as we scan.

Book Online0203 051 6506
£169
Foot ultrasound scan · 30 minutes

Book Now

5a Lucerne Mews
Kensington, London W8 4ED
3 mins from Notting Hill Gate
CQC Registered
HCPC Sonographers
No GP Referral Needed
Report Within 2 Hours
No Radiation

Written and clinically reviewed by the HCPC-registered sonographers who perform this scan at IUS London — a CQC-registered diagnostic ultrasound clinic (Provider ID 1-2775844974). Your own findings are explained to you at the scan and set out in your report.

Author: Yianni Kiromitis, Senior Sonographer, HCPC RA38415 — over 20 years’ experience in NHS and private ultrasound · Reviewed 10 August 2026