Our lives are quite hectic and we are constantly moving. This continual movement can put an enormous amount of pressure on our feet. Generally we can find relief from standing by taking the weight off a foot that is more hurtful than the other. Sitting down can also provide instant relief. What happens when the pain moves to the ball of the foot ? How do you find relief from ball foot pain ?
Ball foot pain is the painful foot condition that can occur in the area just before the toes. It is also a common foot disorder. Ball foot pain affects the bones and joints of the foot. The area that is affected is called the metatarsal region therefore ball foot pain is also called Metatarsalgia. We can find that the most pain occurs just near the 2nd, 3rd and 4th toes. Sometimes however ball foot pain is isolated near the big toe.
The main reason for ball foot pain occurring is due to our wearing the wrong types of shoes. Shoes that have a narrow toe area, especially women’s shoes, forces the ball foot area to become restricted. This tiny amount of toe space can inhibit the walking process and it can also lead to extreme discomfort in the front of our feet.
Ball foot pain is very painful and sometimes one of the metatarsal heads (the cushion just before the toes) becomes inflamed. The inflammation occurs due to excessive pressure placed on that region over a long period of time. With ball foot pain it is common to experience acute pain as well as chronic and recurring ball foot pain.
Other reasons for ball foot pain are very high heels, high impact activities that are done without wearing any supporting footwear and orthotics as well. Also aging is another factor in ball foot pain. In this case the cushion in our feet that is near the toes become thin. This thinning out of the fat pad in the metatarsal area can also cause ball foot pain.
In order to
cure ball foot pain you need to know what is causing the pain. Any shoes with pointy toes should not be worn any longer. Also wearing footwear with high, wide toe spaces and a low wedge heel reduces the pressure on the foot and stops ball foot pain.
Other ways of relieving pressure to ball foot pain can be done in a variety of ways. There are many foot care products that can be used to help relieve ball
foot pain. Orthotics which is designed to relieve ball foot pain will usually feature a metatarsal pad.
The orthotic is made so that the metatarsal pad is placed just behind the area of the metatarsal to relieve the pressure in the foot. Other items that you can use are gel metatarsal cushions and metatarsal bandages. When you wear these products with proper footwear you will experience an immediate relief. And when your feet stop hurting you immediately feel better.
By Michel De Silva
