Metatarsalgia

What is Metatarsalgia?

Metatarsalgia 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 (ball-of-foot-pain) is often located under the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th metatarsal heads, or more isolated at the first metatarsal head (near the big toe).
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 Metatarsalgia:

The universal symptoms of Metatarsalgia are

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

Causes of Metatarsalgia:

Metatarsalgia can be caused by a number of factors:

• Bone abnormalities – a problem with the alignment of the bones can cause an in balance 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 Metatarsalgia:

With this common foot 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 metatarsalgia. Ball-of-foot pain is often caused from improper fitting footwear, most frequently by women’s dress shoes and other restrictive footwear. Footwear with a narrow toe box (toe area) forces the ball-of-foot area to be forced into a minimal amount of space. This can inhibit the walking process and lead to extreme discomfort in the forefoot.

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.

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 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 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 into the joints or in extreme cases, surgery can be carried out.