Metatarsalgia – Symptoms and Causes
About Foot Pain
Pain in the ball of your foot, known medically as metatarsalgia, causes discomfort and inflammation in the front part of your foot. This condition often affects people who run or jump regularly.
Other factors that may lead to this pain include foot structure problems and wearing shoes that don’t fit properly. Most cases aren’t serious, though the pain can prevent you from doing your normal activities.
Simple home treatments like applying ice and resting your foot often help reduce symptoms. To prevent this pain from returning, wearing supportive shoes with cushioned insoles or arch supports is important.
Helpful Products
- Cushioned insoles that absorb shock and reduce pressure on the forefoot
- Proper athletic shoes with good arch support and a roomy toe box
- Metatarsal pads that distribute pressure away from the painful area
- Ice packs for reducing inflammation after activities
Signs and Symptoms
Metatarsalgia causes several noticeable symptoms in the foot:
- Sharp, burning or aching pain in the ball of the foot (the area behind the toes)
- Pain that gets worse when standing, walking, running or bending your feet
- Pain that feels better when resting
- Sharp shooting pain or numbness in the toes
- The feeling of having a small stone inside your shoe
These symptoms typically appear gradually over time rather than suddenly. Pain often increases when walking barefoot on hard surfaces.
When to See a Doctor
Some foot discomfort is normal after standing all day or doing intense exercise. However, you should contact your doctor if:
- Foot pain continues for several days
- You experience burning pain in the ball of your foot that doesn’t get better
- Changing your shoes doesn’t help
- Reducing certain activities fails to relieve the pain
Don’t try to tough it out when dealing with persistent foot problems. Early treatment often leads to better outcomes and can prevent more serious issues from developing.
Causes
Many things can lead to pain in the ball of your foot. Often, several factors work together to cause this issue.
High-impact activities put stress on the front of your foot. Runners face higher risks because running forces the front part of the foot to absorb significant impact.
Sports that involve jumping or running can increase your risk, especially if you wear poor-fitting or worn-out shoes.
Your foot shape matters, too. People with high arches often experience more pressure on the metatarsals. If your second toe is longer than your big toe, this shifts extra weight to that area.
Foot problems can contribute to metatarsal pain. These include:
- Hammertoes (downward-curling toes)
- Bunions (painful bumps at the base of big toes)
- Stress fractures in foot bones
Footwear plays a major role. Shoes that don’t fit properly can cause or worsen this condition:
| Problem Footwear | Why It’s Harmful |
|---|---|
| High heels | Transfer weight to the front of foot |
| Narrow toe boxes | Compress and irritate foot structures |
| Worn-out athletic shoes | Lack proper support and cushioning |
Extra body weight increases pressure on the front of your feet when walking or standing. Weight loss may help reduce symptoms for some people.
A growth called Morton’s neuroma can cause similar symptoms or make existing pain worse. This tissue growth typically develops between the third and fourth metatarsal bones and can change how weight distributes across your foot.
Who’s At Risk?
Some people are more likely to get metatarsalgia than others. Here are the main risk factors:
- Active in high-impact sports that include running and jumping.
- Poor footwear choices, such as ill-fitting shoes, high heels, or cleated shoes.
- Excess body weight puts additional pressure on the feet.
- Existing foot conditions like hammertoe or calluses on the bottom of the feet.
- Inflammatory joint conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout.
These factors increase stress on the ball of your foot, making pain more likely to develop.
Complications
If metatarsalgia isn’t treated, it can cause pain to spread to other parts of your foot or even the opposite foot.
You might also develop pain in your lower back or hip. This happens because you start walking differently to avoid putting pressure on the painful area.
The altered walking pattern (gait) can throw off your body’s alignment and create new problems beyond the original foot pain.
