Metatarsalgia (original) (raw)

Metatarsalgia is a common overuse injury that causes pain and inflammation in the ball of your foot, which is between your arch and toes. It's usually caused by another issue affecting the five metatarsal bones in your foot.

Metatarsalgia can cause all types of sensations in your foot, ranging from sharp and shooting to aching and burning.

Metatarsalgia vs. Morton's neuroma

Like metatarsalgia, Morton's neuroma also causes pain in the ball of your foot. In both cases, you can feel burning and sharp pain in the ball of your foot, but Morton's neuroma is usually felt between your third and fourth toes (the two toes closest to your pinkie toe). Morton's neuroma is caused by a nerve in your foot that becomes inflamed, while metatarsalgia is typically caused by another foot condition, such as bunions.

The main symptom of metatarsalgia is pain at the end of one or more of your five metatarsal bones. Those are the bones in the ball of your foot, closest to your toes. Most often, the pain develops over several months, rather than suddenly.

The pain can be:

You might also feel tingling, numbness, or like you have a pebble in your shoe or you're stepping on a rock. Athletes in high-impact sports, especially those with an inflammatory condition like bursitis, often have more widespread pain in the ball and middle of the foot.

The pain of metatarsalgia comes from too much pressure on one spot in your foot. It's usually caused by pressure on your feet during high-impact sports. Or you may have something unusual about your foot bones or muscles that affects the way pressure is distributed, such as:

Other things that can cause metatarsalgia include:

In the U.S., forefoot injuries, including metatarsalgia, are common in athletes who engage in high-impact sports. Activities that involve running or jumping are most often to blame. While track and field runners are most at risk, other athletes, including tennis, football, baseball, and soccer players, also get forefoot injuries often.

Other factors that raise your odds of metatarsal pain include:

Your doctor or health care provider will first do a manual exam of your foot. They'll likely also do X-rays of your foot to help rule out other causes of your pain, such as a fracture. A bone scan can also help them pinpoint places of inflammation.

Ultrasound can help identify conditions that affect your foot's soft tissues, including bursitis, which can also cause pain in the metatarsal area. If your doctor still needs answers, they may ask for an MRI to look at more detailed images of your metatarsal and midfoot regions. Your doctor may also do other tests and procedures to help make a diagnosis and figure out the proper treatment.

There are several options when it comes to treating metatarsalgia.

Home remedies for metatarsalgia

To relieve metatarsalgia pain, the doctor may advise you to:

If you have a callus on the bottom of your foot where you feel pain, your doctor may shave it down to take off some pressure.

Taping for metatarsalgia

You can use kinesiology tape to help ease your foot pain. It can add an extra layer of cushioning to the ball of your foot and help correct the positioning of your metatarsal toes. Here's one way you can tape your foot:

Taping the ball of your foot

With this method, you'll use two pieces of tape, one about 10 inches and another about 5 inches long. Place the middle of a short strip over the ball of your foot where you have pain, stretch the tape to 80%, and secure it in place. Point your toes up and place the longer piece of tape atop the first strip and just below your toes. Stretch the tape down the arch of your foot and up the back of your heel, and secure it about 2 inches up your Achilles tendon. Smooth the tape securely, and wear it for 48 hours.

Medication

Over-the-counter medicines such as acetaminophen, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen or naproxen, can relieve pain in the short term. If you have a pinched nerve, your doctor may try a nerve block in combination with long-acting steroids.

Recovery

Once your pain is gone, you can increase your foot and ankle stretching and strengthening exercises and gradually get back to normal activity. Try a low-impact exercise, such as swimming, first.

Stretching and exercise can bring immediate relief for metatarsalgia. Different exercises can help increase blood flow to your foot and toes, reduce your pain and swelling, and give you more strength. Stretching also will give you more flexibility in your sore foot and ankle.

Here are some stretching exercises that may give you immediate metatarsalgia relief:

Toe pumps. Sit on the floor with your legs stretched out in front of you. Alternate slowly between flexing and extending your toes until they start loosening up. Repeat this exercise 20 times for two to three sets.

Toe flexor stretches. Sit in a chair and cross your legs so the foot you want to stretch is propped up. Bend your foot at the ankle so your toes point toward your shin. Use your hand to pull your toes back slightly until you feel a deep stretch in the bottom of your foot. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Repeat this exercise for two to three sets.

Sitting calf stretches. Sit in a chair and straighten out the leg you want to stretch. Wrap a stretch strap or towel under the ball of your foot and pull your toes up your shin until you feel a deep stretch in your Achilles tendon and lower calf. Hold the stretch for 30 seconds. Repeat this exercise on each leg for two to three sets.

Here are some strengthening exercises that may give you immediate metatarsalgia relief.

Toe scrunches. Sit in a chair and rest your feet on a towel. Use your toes to lift and curl the towel forward and back. Repeat this exercise for 10-15 times for two to three sets.

Marble pickup. Sit in a chair and spread several marbles (or similar small items) beneath your feet next to a cup. Using your toes, pick up one marble at a time and drop it in the cup. Repeat until you've dropped all the marbles in the cup. Pick up 10-15 marbles, and repeat this exercise for two to three sets.

Toe/calf raises. Stand on a hard surface using a chair or the wall to help you balance. Lift your heels off the ground as much as you comfortably can and shift your weight into the balls of your feet. Go back to the starting position and repeat this exercise 10-15 times for two to three sets.

Metatarsalgia can lead to other problems if you don't treat it, including:

Most people recover from metatarsalgia with treatment. But you need to understand what caused it and take steps to keep it from coming back.

Taking good care of your feet can help you avoid another bout of metatarsalgia.

Metatarsalgia shoes

Metatarsalgia is a common injury that causes pain and inflammation in the ball of your foot. Most often, the pain comes on over several months, rather than suddenly. It's usually caused by the pressure on your feet during high-impact sports but can also result from other things, such as bunions, hammertoe deformity, torn ligaments in your feet, obesity, and ill-fitting shoes. Over-the-counter medications along with foot stretches and exercises are the most common ways to treat metatarsalgia.

Does metatarsalgia go away on its own?

Yes, it can improve on its own with at-home remedies such as rest, ice, compression, and elevation. If your symptoms don't go away, you should talk to your doctor.

What aggravates metatarsalgia?

Several things can worsen the symptoms of metatarsalgia, including wearing the wrong shoes, a bone defect like hammertoe or bunion, obesity, or a high arch.

What gives immediate relief for metatarsalgia?

Rest, ice, compression, and elevation, combined with over-the-counter pain medications will give you the most immediate relief for metatarsalgia pain.