What is Ball of Foot Pain?

Pain felt in the ball or metatarsal region of the foot is commonly referred to as Metatarsalgia. It is a common condition and pain is normally focused where the second, third and fourth toes meet the ball of the foot.

The weight of the body is equally distributed over the metatarsal bones during walking and therefore, if anything is disrupted in the relationship between these bones, the pain can be extremely intense.

Symptoms of Ball of Foot Pain:

The universal symptoms of Metatarsalgia are

• A burning pain in the ball of the foot
• Shooting pains in to the toes
• Discomfort when the foot is enclosed in shoes or socks
• An increase in pain during walking or other mobile activities

Causes of Ball of Foot Pain:

Metatarsalgia can be caused by a number of factors:

• Bone abnormalities – a problem with the alignment of the bones can cause an inbalance in the long bones of the foot, meaning some bones will be forced to absorb more pressure than others. This can occur in narrow, high arched or flat feet.
• Medical conditions such as Diabetes – this type of condition can cause a nerve pain in the foot.
• Ill fitting footwear – this can cause undue pressure on areas of the foot that need to be allowed the freedom to spread out to take the weight of the body.
• Age – general wear and tear on the bones of the foot can weaken them, making them more susceptible to imbalances.
• Obesity – this can put undue pressure on the bones of the foot, causing them to carry more weight than they are designed to.
• Bunion joints – bunions cause the big toe bone to invert and cause imbalance.
• High impact sports – these put undue pressure on the bones of the foot, forcing them to take stress and high impact pressure.
• Stress fractures – fractures by nature cause an imbalance in the bones- meaning other bones have to take more pressure than they are designed to.
  

Relief and Prevention of Ball of Foot Pain:

As there are a variety of different causes of Metatarsalgia, treatments vary too, although most of them are quite simple.

If the problem is being caused by ill fitting footwear then the simple solution is to make a change to the problem footwear. There are a few options when it comes to proper health and wellness footwear, and thanks to the increasing popularity of wellness products, there are now styles that although healthy on the inside, don’t lose their looks or style on the outside. Footwear should be designed to evenly distribute body weight over the foot, support the arch and allow space in the toe box for feet to expand and move.

Other cures for Ball of Foot Pain are:

• Orthotics – although these are less desirable as a cure as they restrict the type of footwear that can be worn and often there is a high cost involved.
• Anti-inflammatory medicine is available to lessen the pain and inflammation (always consult your GP if you’re unsure about the suitability of any medicine)
• Shock absorbing insoles can be fitted to current footwear – however make sure that these don’t restrict the space in the footwear you have now – making them tight and uncomfortable.
• In more severe cases, you GP will refer you to a specialist and X-rays, injections in to the joints or in extreme cases, surgery can be carried out.

Customer experiences :

"Earth Shoes have changed my life. The negative heel technology has removed the pressure from the ball of my foot which was so painful. Now I can be on my feet all day and have a new lease of life. Thank you."- J, Liverpool, UK

Bought Earth shoes after reading your comparison with MBT's. Was not disappointed with the results. Lovely shoes, foot pain so much better - and immediately - than it had been even with prescription and very expensive orthotics. Feel very positive about them. Bought two more pairs in the next few days. - Dory Anderson, Cambs, United Kingdom

"I have a problem buying shoes to fit me because I have very short big toes. This also gives me problems with hard skin building up on the ball of my foot which is very painful when my weight is bearing down on this area. Your shoes counteract this problem wonderfully. They also stretch my calf muscles which is exactly what my chiropractor says that I need. I will never mess about looking at other makes of shoes again. The quality and feel of your leather are the best I've ever experienced."- Yours Julie Gillon, UK