Excruciating pain in the ball of the foot is very common. Metatarsalgia appears at the wrong times, such as running marathons or walking in heels. Before continuing to aggravate the problem, it is recommended to solve it.
There are five metatarsal bones, numbered one through five from the big toe to the little toe. They play an essential role in bone structure and are attached to the muscles that help control the lower extremity and foot. However, when we suffer an injury that inflames this area, we may not be able to walk or support our feet.
What is it?
Metatarsalgia is a painful swelling on the ball of the foot. The ball of the foot is the area between the toes and the arch. Metatarsalgia gets its name from the five metatarsal bones in the midsection of the foot that connect to the toes. People who experience ball of foot pain feel pain and inflammation in the padding directly under their toes. This is also the position in which we exert the most pressure when moving and standing.
This injury typically occurs from overuse injuries in sports that involve running and jumping. It can also be the result of ill-fitting shoes, foot abnormalities, arthritis, and other diseases.
Symptom
Ball of foot pain usually starts gradually over time. It can get better when we rest our foot and get worse when we stand up, walk, or exercise. The pain may feel like walking with a marble or stones in your shoe, have a sharp burning or shooting pain on the ball of your foot, or have numb or tingling toes.
We may also notice that the pain worsens when we stand, run, walk barefoot, or do high-impact sporting activity.
Runners with a tendency to land on the ball of the foot create a great deal of pressure in the swing phase which can inflame this area and there may be some swelling as well. Bruises may also appear on the foot.
Causes
The most common cause of metatarsalgia is playing sports activities that put pressure on the metatarsal bones in the forefoot. These activities often lead to a overuse of the foot pad. Running, for example, involves exerting a constant force on the ball of the foot. Abnormal stress on the foot can increase inflammation in the metatarsal area. It can also irritate the tendons, ligaments, and cartilage around the bone.
Other common causes can be:
- Shoes that don't fit well: Shoes may be too tight and squeeze the foot. Or they may be too loose, causing your foot to slide back and forth.
- High heels or sneakers without proper padding and arch support – these can cause us to put more weight on the ball of our feet.
- Anomalies On the feet: High arches, a second toe longer than the big toe, calluses on the bottom of the foot, bunions, and hammer toe can all contribute to metatarsalgia.
- extra weight: Being overweight or obese puts more pressure on the feet and the metatarsal area.
- Some diseases: Bursitis, arthritis, gout, Morton's neuroma, and small stress fractures in the toes and metatarsal bones can increase stress on the ball of the foot.
Treatment
There are many home remedies for foot pad pain. If the symptoms are not caused by a larger health condition, such as Freiberg's disease or diabetes, a doctor will probably recommend some specific treatments. Relief can usually be experienced in a matter of days.
- rest your foot when we can, especially after periods of activity. We will use an ice pack at 20 minute intervals every two to three hours. Ice can help relieve inflammation and reduce swelling.
- Wear comfortable shoes. If we wear high heels, the doctor will probably recommend that we change shoes. We'll also want to make sure the shoes fit us well. Tight shoes can cause feet to become misaligned while standing and walking, creating improper balance.
- Exercise. Although we may not want to participate in running or certain high-impact sports during this time, specific stretches can relieve pain and increase flexibility and strength. We may want to practice the stretches several times a day until we feel relief from the pain.
- Wear orthopedic insoles. Depending on the level of severity, a doctor may prescribe orthotics or recommend commercial shoe inserts. Orthotic inserts are made to help align the foot and provide additional cushioning. A pad under the ball of the foot can also relieve pain.
- Control body weight. Excess weight can put extra pressure on the balls of your feet, and controlling your weight can help alleviate this stress. A doctor may recommend weight control based on lifestyle and any other health complications.
- Tomar Medicamentos to alleviate the pain. A doctor may suggest taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or another type of pain reliever. If our case of foot ball pain is severe, the doctor may also prescribe injectable steroids.
If your ball of foot pain is caused by hammer toe, a pinched nerve, or a similar type of complication, an orthopedic surgeon or podiatrist can decide if corrective surgery is the course of treatment for you. However, the above treatments can relieve ball of foot pain in most cases.
exercises and stretches
There are many great benefits of regular exercise when treating metatarsal pain. It is an essential component of any worthwhile treatment program. Some of these benefits include increased blood flow to the foot and toes to promote proper healing, reduced pain and swelling, increased flexibility in the foot, ankle and lower body, improved strength and Coordination for daily activities.
movement of the toes
It will increase circulation and loosen stiff areas in your toes. We can sit on the bed with our legs stretched out, on the floor, or even in a chair to start. If we are in a chair, we will make sure that the toes can move freely in both directions, leaning on the heels.
- We will alternate between crinkling (flexing) and extending the toes.
- We will move back and forth slowly until we feel the toes loosen up.
- We will repeat 20 times for 2-3 series.
We will keep the movement relatively free of pain. To address other areas in the foot and ankle, we may also choose to do some ankle movements alternating between pointing the toes and flexing the ankle (dorsiflexion and plantarflexion).
Toe Flexor Stretch
This stretch specifically treats the sore toe tendons that cross the ball of the foot (metatarsal heads). It can be especially helpful if you have hammer toe in addition to metatarsalgia.
- We'll sit in a chair with the foot you want to stretch resting on the opposite thigh so you can reach your toes with your hands.
- We'll dorsiflex the ankle (toes toward the shin) slightly while using the palm of the hand to curl the toes toward the top of the foot.
- We'll move until we feel a strong stretch in the bottom of the foot and hold.
We can either hold for 30+ seconds each time or we will slowly move our toes in and out of the position for 15-20 repetitions. We will repeat the chosen option for 2-3 series.
Seated Calf Stretch
Calf stretches can relieve ankle stiffness and help prevent problems like bunions and plantar fasciitis.
- We will sit on a chair or on the floor with an elastic band, towel, or belt wrapped under the ball of the foot.
- We will keep the knee straight while lifting the toes towards the shin.
- We should feel a deep stretch at the back of the ankle at the Achilles tendon and lower leg. We will not force the stretch on any pain.
- We will hold for more than 30 seconds for 2-3 series on each leg.
Standing Calf Stretch
We will stand near the back of a chair or the wall to begin.
- We will bring the leg that we want to stretch behind us while we walk in a stride position with both feet flat on the ground.
- We'll make sure both feet are pointing forward when we start.
- Then we will shift the weight to the front leg while bending the knee.
- We will keep the back knee straight and the heel on the ground.
- We'll continue to move forward until we feel a strong stretch in the back of the ankle and lower leg.
- We will hold for more than 30 seconds for 2-3 series on each leg.
To target the deeper muscles of the calf (the soleus), we'll repeat the stretch with the back knee slightly bent this time.