What Is That Pain on The Ball of My Feet?
A lot of the times patients will come into our office and complain about this pain they are feeling at the ball of their foot. Perhaps there is also pain in the toes, pain when you are walking or running, or numbness and tingling. Usually you are feeling this pain because the fat pad cushioning at the sole of your feet is thinning out. Basically, the fat that was protecing you from feeling that constant pain is now thinning and it is no longer able to "cushion" it for you. However, this pain you are experiencing does have a name; Metatarsalgia (pronounced met-uh-tahr-SAL-juh). Metatarsalgia causes one of metatarsal joints to become painful or inflamed, this is why you experience foot pain in the "ball of your foot," the area between your arch and the toes.
Causes of Metatarsalgia
Metatarsalgia can also be caused by a foot injury (sports, car accidents, repeated stress), hard surfaces, and specific footwear (rigid soled work boots and high heels). Bunions, diabetes and arthritis can also cause this condition. It is associated with active people and athletes. Running and jumping, such as basketball, can bring on this problem. Also, being overweight and age will impact the severity and pain. And in some cases, when you wear heels all the time, you may begin to experience some pain.
Some of the symptoms of metatarsalgia include:
- A stabbing pain your toes
- Increased pain when standing, running, or walking
- Pain in the ball of the foot that doesn’t go away after a few days of rest
There are 28 bones in your foot, and 19 of them are in your toes and midfoot area, so there are a lot of complications that can occur with this part of your foot. Since metatarsalgia has many of the same symptoms as other foot problems, it is important to seek the guidance of a foot specialist to rule out things such as a stress fracture.
The pain can sharp, burning feeling-like, or a dull ache. It could potentilly feel like you are stepping on a pebble when you are walking, it is very uncomfortable to live with and should really get treated as soon as possible so you can get back to your life. It can stop you from running or walking because of how bad the pain can get.
Treatment:
A simple change of shoes may solve the problem. Also, full-length custom-molded foot inserts, orthotics, will help to relieve stress on pressure points. Using the RICE method will also improve the condition. (REST, ICE, COMPRESSION, ELEVATION). Over the counter anti inflammatory medication can help relieve pain and discomfort.
If left untreated, metatarsalgia can lead to future problems in your lower back, knees, and hips.
Usually, DIY treatments such as resting the foot or using an over the counter metatarsal pad can be enough to relieve your pain. However, realignment of the metatarsal bones may be necessary to provide pain relief and discomfort.
If you are experiencing pain in the ball of your foot, please come in and see of our podiatrists at Family Foot & Ankle Specialists.
Leneva
Getting a Leneva Injection could really help the pain you feel from loss of fat pad on your feet. It is a tissue reconstruction, safe and clinically proven solution to help with foot pain without surgery. Sometimes surgery can be very scary and we understand that, so it is important for us that our patients feel comfortable when they are in our care. This is why we like to exahust all options/treatments before going in for surgery. If you want to avoid things like surgery then leneva may be perfect for you.
So.. How Does Leneva Work?
Leneva injections is a nonsurgical way to treat pain to feet caused by loss of fat pad. We are supposed to have a fat pad under foot that helps to decrease pressure when we weight-bear. As we get older the fat pad tends to shift or thin out.
Fat pad loss under the forefoot and heel is very very common. Many of my patients say they feel that like they are walking on rocks. Patients with significant fat pad loss complain about extreme pain and are unable to walk barefoot on hard surfaces such as hardwood floors or tile. Leneva will help by having fat regrow on the bottoms of the feet.
Leneva is the first human adipose tissue for tissue reconstruction and is an all-natural, safe, off-the-shelf matrix to repair damaged or inadequate fat tissue. A Leneva injection is performed in our office under local anesthesia. There is no downtime.
Make sure to come into one of our locations, Hillsborough or Piscataway to find out more about how we can help you heal your pain fast! Call us at 732-968-3833!
