Metatarsalgia

Metatarsalgia is when the ball of your foot becomes inflamed and painful, athletes are the most common people who are experiencing this, especially if the sports include jumping and running.

Wearing ill-fitting shoes may be one of the causes of metatarsalgia. This illness is not serious but there are treatments such as rest and ice can heal this.

Use the exact size of shoes and arch supports.

Signs and symptoms of metatarsalgia include :

• a feeling of having a pebble in your shoe,
• when you are barefoot, you can feel pain whenever you run, flex your feet, stand up or walk,
• a sharp burning or aching pain in the ball of your feet.

Visit your doctor if you are feeling any of these symptoms and avoid activities such as running.

The causes of metatarsalgia are:

• Foot deformities, if you are always using high heels or shoes that are too small for you.
• Intense training especially for athletes usually runners because of too much use of your feet with too much force.
• Excess weight for the weight will go straight to your feet.
• When one of your toes curls downward, swollen painful bumps is called hammertoe.
• Stress fractures.
• Shoes that have high heels and narrow toe box or athletic shoes.
• Morton’s neuroma because of aerobics or jogging.

A proper diagnosis of Metatarsalgia will be made by your rheumatologist or another specialist.

Set an appointment with your doctor. Write down all the things that you want to ask as well as the symptoms.

Make a list of all the vitamins, supplements, and medications that you are taking every day. Bring a notebook and a friend for support.

You may ask the doctor these questions:

• What are the causes of this illness?
• Is there any test?
• What do you recommend?
• Is it temporary or chronic?
• Will I feel better after the treatment?
• Are there restriction activities? 

Your doctor may ask you:

• What are the signs and symptoms that you are experiencing?
• For how long are you experiencing these said symptoms?
• What type of shoes are you using?
• What are your daily activities?
• Do you walk on barefoot?
• Are the symptoms occasional? 

Rest your foot as much as possible.

Several treatment methods are used for metatarsalgia.

To relieve the pain in your feet you may use conservative measures if it doesn’t reduce the pain, surgical might be necessary.

Talk to your doctor first about the risks or complications surgery may bring.

Here are some preventive measures for Metatarsalgia:

• Instead of wearing high heels shoes, use shoes with a wide toe box and do not wear too small shoes,
• maintain a healthy weight,
• use arch supports,
• don’t do rough sports or strenuous activities.

A few alternative remedies exist for metatarsalgia:

• Eliminate high intensity of exercises,
• apply ice packs for the pain; have a total rest at home,
• stretching the legs and hips as well as the ankles and feet so that you can maintain the alignment of your body and the function of your body,
• wear shoes that fit you perfectly.

You are at high risk for metatarsalgia if:

• you are a runner and always wearing high heels or small close shoes,
• you are overweight because all the weight from your body will go to your feet, so eat healthily,
• you can do some mild exercises such as swimming and cycling,
• other medical conditions such as gout, hammertoe or arthritis.