With summer rapidly approaching you don’t want to be stuck worrying about metatarsalgia, or pain in the ball of your foot. There are so many at-home remedies and lifestyle changes you can try to get rid of your pain. Very rarely is surgery necessary to fix your ball of foot pain, and when it is it’s usually to fix the underlying problem, such as a stubborn bunion.
Metatarsalgia is a symptom itself of another underlying problem. It can present as sharp pain in the ball of the foot that becomes worse when running, jumping, or standing and becomes better when you are resting. You may also feel aching, numbness, tingling, or shooting pains in your foot.
What Does Metatarsalgia Feel Like?
Many people have described the pain or discomfort as “having a rock inside of my shoe all the time”. You may be at an increased risk of developing ball of foot pain if you are overweight, are very physically active, wear shoes that don’t fit your feet properly, or have other foot deformities such as bunions, Morton’s neuroma, or hammertoes.
Treating Metatarsalgia
Treating metatarsalgia usually just involves making a few simple lifestyle changes and rarely calls for invasive treatment methods. For instance, you can try resting your foot and icing it to reduce your discomfort. If your shoes are the problem you should look into footwear that fits you better and gives you all the support you need. Runners should invest in metatarsal pads and arch supports to keep them from absorbing too much shock while you are physically active. Since weight is a factor be sure to eat healthy foods and exercise at least 30 minutes daily to maintain a healthy weight. In certain rare cases it may be necessary to have surgery to fix a bunion or hammertoe problem that is beyond conservative methods.
If you have further questions regarding metatarsalgia please call Dr. Peyman Elison and Dr. Viedra Elison at (623) 584-5556 to schedule an appointment at Fixing Feet Institute in Surprise, AZ. We want to help get rid of your ball of foot pain so the only thing you have to worry about this summer is remembering to wear your sunscreen!
