DESCRIPTION

Metatarsalgia (metatarsal pain) is a general term used to denote a painful foot condition in the metatarsal region of the foot (the area just before the toes, more commonly referred to as the ball-of-the-foot). This is a common foot disorder that can affect the bones and joints at the ball-of-the-foot. Metatarsalgia is most frequently located under the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal heads, but may affect any of the metatarsals. With this condition one or more of the metatarsal heads become painful and/or inflamed, usually due to excessive pressure over a long period of time. It is common to experience acute, recurrent, or chronic pain with this common foot condition. Ball-of-foot pain is often caused from poorly fitting shoes, most frequently in women’s dress shoes and other restrictive footwear or shoes with hard soles.

Other factors can cause excessive pressure in the ball-of-foot area that can result in metatarsalgia. These include shoes with heels that are too high or participating in high impact activities without proper footwear and/or orthotics. Also as we get older, the fat pad in our foot tends to thin out, making us much more susceptible to pain in the ball-of-the-foot.

TREATMENT

The first step in treating metatarsalgia is to determine the cause of the pain. If improper fitting footwear is the cause of the pain, the footwear must be changed. Footwear designed with a high, wide toe box (toe area) and a rocker sole are ideal for treating metatarsalgia. The high, wide toe box allows the foot to spread out while the rocker sole reduces stress on the ball-of-the-foot. If the problem is a result of loss of the normal fat pad then a simple cushioned insole may relieve the problem.

Unloading pressure to the ball-of-the-foot can be accomplished with a variety of footcare products. Custom molded orthotics designed to relieve ball-of-foot pain may feature a metatarsal pad or a cut out under the area to relieve weight bearing on the painful metatarsal. Other products often recommended include cushioned insoles, gel metatarsal cushions and metatarsal bandages. When these products are used with proper footwear, you should experience significant relief.