Ball of Foot Pain (Metatarsalgia) - Introduction

Ball of foot pain, metatarsalgia or Mortons Neuroma are common conditions seen in the forefoot or the area just before the toes on the bottom of the foot. This area of the foot flexes prior to toe off in the gait cycle so is most loaded with forces at this point. Symptoms can range from burning, stabbing or throbbing pain in this region of the foot typically when wearing shoes

Once you have finished reading the following we encourage all foot pain sufferers to contact our resident podiatrist to discuss your foot pain frustrations in more detail.

Ball of Foot Pain (Metatarsalgia) - Causes

• Improper fitting footwear - for example, wearing shoes that have insufficient toe area, causing the ball of foot area to be cramped into an excessively small space.
• High heels can cause excessive pressure on the ball of the foot.
• Participating in high impact activities with inadequate foot support.
• Biomechanical causes such as flattening of the forefoot or metatarsal arch are significant contributing factors. When the foot excessively pronates the long arch of the foot excessively flattens, secondary to this the metatarsal arch flattens placing enormous stress on this region. The forefoot will often splay causing a squashing effect. Have someone shake your hand and really sqeeze your fingers and knuckles, that's what is happening inside the shoe. This will eventually lead to compression of the joints and nerves of the forefoot resulting in Mortons Neuroma or joint capsulitis. 

Ball of Foot Pain (Metatarsalgia) - Treatment

• This condition responds well to realignment of the foot, beginning with longitudinal arch support which will help align the metatarsals to redistribute the weight more evenly. This will also reduce splaying of the forefoot and flattening of the forefoot arch. Podlink orthotics are well designed to assist with this condition due to their arch control and ability to reduce excessive pronation with the 3/4 length allowing normal flexion for the foot prior to toe off when walking or running. The unique material used allows the orthotics to be placed in a wide variety of shoes. Professional dancers have found Podlink orthotics fit into their dancing shoes relieving the pain on the ball of their feet. We were pleasantly surprised when this was discovered in our research and development.  Click here to choose your Podlink foot care orthotics ball of foot pain treatment.
• Wearing of appropriate footwear, with sufficient room in the toe area of the shoe.
• Use of metatarsal pads and/or cushioning. Podlink has an excellent product called a metatarsal domes which can be fitted to your orthotic for maximum metatarsal arch support and relief. Click on metatarsal dome to find out more.