Metatarsalgia: Understand the Causes and Find Relief Fast

Metatarsalgia is a common foot condition that causes pain on the bottom of the foot. Women who regularly wear high heels, which put constant pressure on the ball-of-foot area, must often undergo treatment for metatarsalgia. If you feel you could be suffering from metatarsalgia, or just want some tips on how to relieve the pain of metatarsalgia, please read on for more information on metatarsalgia. FootSmart has teamed with The Podiatry Institute to offer you facts on the symptoms of metatarsalgia, causes of metatarsalgia, and how to treat and prevent metatarsalgia.

Metatarsalgia: A History

The condition name metatarsalgia, from metatarsals, refers directly to the long bones of the foot. When you walk, the metatarsal bones normally share your weight equally across the entire ball of the foot. But other factors, as you will see below, can contribute to pain in this area (metatarsalgia).

What Causes Metatarsalgia?

Many different factors can cause a person to develop metatarsalgia, with one of the main culprits being... YOUR SHOES.

• Shoes that put pressure on the bones of the feet -- like high heels -- definitely contribute to metatarsalgia. If you're looking for comfortable shoes that can help prevent metatarsalgia or relieve the pain of metatarsalgia, visit FootSmart's men's and women's comfort shoes sections.
• You're also at risk for metatarsalgia, hammertoes, bunions and other conditions if you wear shoes with small toe boxes. These shoes not only squeeze the ball of the foot, leading to metatarsalgia, but also cramp your toes.

Other conditions that can cause the pain of metatarsalgia include the following:

• Aging, which tends to thin out or shift the fatty tissue of the foot pad, may produce metatarsalgia. Many people, women in particular, are now even having plastic surgery (collagen injections into the fat pad of the foot) so that they can continue to wear fashionable shoes and not suffer from metatarsalgia.
• Do you play sports? Any activitiy that places tremendous pounding on the ball of the foot, like jogging, can lead to metatarsalgia.
• Calluses or skin lesions that cause the weight on the foot to be unevenly distributed can contribute to the development of metatarsalgia.
• Systemic conditions such as diabetes, which can cause nerve-type pain in the foot, can cause metatarsalgia.
• Arthritis or any degenerative disease of the joints may contribute to metatarsalgia.
• An enlarged metatarsal head can lead to metatarsalgia.

Recognizing the Symptoms of Metatarsalgia

As explained above, the universal symptom of metatarsalgia is pain in the ball of the foot. Metatarsalgia is most pronounced when walking or engaging in sports. Since the foot supports the body in all its activities, metatarsalgia can impact the ability to perform ordinary tasks.

Additional symptoms of metatarsalgia include:

• If you notice discomfort when wearing socks or shoes, you could have metatarsalgia.
• You may also have metatarsalgia if you experience pain when participating in activities where impact is applied to the foot, such as running.

Orthotics, Metatarsal Pads Can Help Treat Metatarsalgia

Treating metatarsalgia depends on the cause, but here are a few tips to help you alleviate the discomfort and pain of metatarsalgia:

• If you have metatarsalgia, you should wear shoe insoles or inserts to help spread your weight more equally across the entire bottom of the foot. Shoes and insoles also provide stability to prevent the abnormal collapsing of the arch, thus helping to ease the pain caused by metatarsalgia.
• Suffering from metatarsalgia? Metatarsal pads can also help spread your weight more evenly to effectively ease pain caused by metatarsalgia.

If you are experiencing chronic pain caused by metatarsalgia, please consult your local podiatrist before engaging in any type of treatment for your condition. If left untreated, metatarsalgia can also lead to other, more serious foot and lower body joint problems.

Information on foot, leg and lower body health conditions like metatarsalgia provided by The Podiatry Institute, dedicated to advancing the standard of care in podiatric medicine and its effects on muscoskeletal health.