Does the ball of your foot hurt when you walk or stand? That burning, aching sensation that feels like you’re stepping on a pebble could be metatarsalgia — a common but often misunderstood foot condition.
Aloha Foot and Ankle Associates in Mission Viejo, California, which serves South Orange County, treats metatarsalgia and other causes of foot pain. Our team can identify what’s causing your discomfort and create a treatment plan that gets you back on your feet comfortably.
Metatarsalgia is pain and inflammation in the ball of your foot, where your metatarsal bones connect to your toes. Your metatarsals are five long bones in the middle of your foot that bear weight and help you push off when you walk or run.
Too much pressure on these bones inflames the surrounding tissues, causing pain that usually affects one or more metatarsal heads. The second, third, and fourth metatarsals take the most impact and tend to hurt the most.
Several factors can overload the ball of your foot. Your activities, shoes, and how your foot is shaped all contribute to where pressure concentrates with each step. Common causes of metatarsalgia include:
Pinpointing the cause helps determine which treatments will work best for your situation.
Pain from metatarsalgia usually builds gradually, though sometimes it appears suddenly after intense activity or switching to different shoes. It can cause telltale signs such as:
The pain can be mild or severe enough to make walking difficult.
Early treatment with simple methods often relieves metatarsalgia and keeps it from getting worse. If the balls of your feet ache, feel numb, or become increasingly painful:
These steps help mild cases, but pain that sticks around or gets worse needs professional care.
Our podiatrists at Aloha Foot and Ankle Associates treat both the pain and what’s causing it. Our professional metatarsalgia treatment options include:
We design shoe inserts for your specific feet that spread pressure evenly. Custom orthotics match your foot shape and how you walk, making them far more effective than drugstore insoles.
Specific exercises build strength in your feet and ankles while improving flexibility. For example, stretching your Achilles tendon and calf muscles helps take pressure off the front of your foot.
Protective padding cushions the ball of your foot, and taping supports your arch to shift pressure away from sore metatarsal heads.
We look at your current shoes and tell you what features to look for in new ones that will support your feet instead of aggravating the problem.
Persistent cases might need additional interventions beyond conservative care. When metatarsalgia results from structural problems like bunions or hammertoes, correcting those underlying issues often provides lasting relief.
At Aloha Foot and Ankle Associates, we provide complete foot care for metatarsalgia and other painful foot conditions. Our experienced team serves South Orange County with personalized treatment plans that address both your symptoms and their underlying causes.
Call Aloha Foot and Ankle Associates in Mission Viejo, California, at 949-364-2525, or use our online booking tool to schedule your consultation.
