How to cure foot pad pain?

There are five metatarsal bones, numbered one through five from the big toe to the little toe. They play an essential role in bone structure and are attached to muscles that help control the lower limb and foot. However, when we suffer an injury that inflames this area, we may not be able to walk or support the foot.

What is?

Metatarsalgia is a painful swelling in the ball of the foot . The ball of the foot is the area between the toes and the arch. Metatarsalgia gets its name from the five metatarsal bones in the midsection of the feet that connect to the toes. People who experience pain in the ball of the foot feel pain and swelling in the padding directly under their toes. This is also the position where we exert the most pressure when moving and standing.

This injury typically occurs from overuse injuries in sports that involve running and jumping. It can also be the result of ill-fitting shoes, foot abnormalities, arthritis, and other diseases.

Symptoms

Foot pad pain usually begins gradually over time. It can get better when we rest the foot and get worse when we stand up, walk or exercise. The pain may feel like walking with a marble or stone in your shoe, have a sharp burning or stabbing pain in the ball of your foot, or have numb or tingling toes.

We may also notice that the pain worsens when we stand, run, walk barefoot, or do high-impact sports activity.

Runners with a tendency to land on the ball of the foot create a lot of pressure in the swing phase which can inflame this area and there may also be some swelling. Bruises on the foot may also appear.

Causes

The most common cause of metatarsalgia is sports activities that put pressure on the metatarsal bones in the forefoot. These activities often lead to excessive use of the foot pad . Running, for example, involves exerting a constant force on the ball of the foot. Abnormal tension in the foot can increase inflammation in the metatarsal area. It can also irritate the tendons, ligaments, and cartilage around the bone.

Other common causes can be:

• Shoes that don’t fit well – Shoes may be too tight and squeeze your foot. Or they may be too loose, causing the foot to slide back and forth.
• High heels or sneakers without adequate padding and arch support: These can cause you to put more weight on the ball of your foot.
• Foot abnormalities : High arches, a second toe longer than the big toe, calluses on the bottom of the foot, bunions, and hammer toe can all contribute to metatarsalgia.
• Extra Weight – Being overweight or obese puts more pressure on the feet and the ball of the foot.
• Some diseases : bursitis, arthritis, gout, Morton’s neuroma, and small stress fractures in the toes and metatarsal bones can increase stress on the ball of the foot.

Treatment

There are many home remedies for foot pad pain. If the symptoms aren’t caused by a larger health condition, such as Freiberg’s disease or diabetes, a doctor will likely recommend some specific treatments. Relief can usually be experienced within days.

• Rest the foot when we can, especially after periods of activity. We will use an ice pack in 20-minute intervals every two to three hours. Ice can help relieve inflammation and reduce swelling.
• Wear comfortable shoes . If we wear high heels, the doctor will probably recommend that we change our shoes. We’ll also want to make sure our shoes fit well. Tight shoes can cause feet to slip out of alignment while standing and walking, creating poor balance.
• Exercise. Although we may not want to participate in running or certain high-impact sports during this time, specific stretches can relieve pain and increase flexibility and strength. We may want to do the stretches several times a day until we feel relief from the pain.
• Use orthopedic insoles . Depending on the level of severity, a doctor may prescribe orthotics or recommend commercial shoe inserts. Orthotic inserts are made to help align the foot and provide additional cushioning. A pad under the ball of the foot can also relieve pain.
• Control body weight. Excess weight can put extra pressure on the balls of your feet, and managing your weight can help relieve this stress. A doctor may recommend weight management based on lifestyle and any other health concerns.
• Take medicine to relieve pain. A doctor may suggest taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or another type of pain reliever. If our case of foot pad pain is severe, the doctor may also prescribe injectable steroids.

If your ball of foot pain is caused by a hammertoe, a pinched nerve, or a similar type of complication, an orthopedic surgeon or podiatrist can decide if corrective surgery is the course of treatment for you. However, the above treatments can relieve footpad pain in most cases.

exercises and stretches

There are many great benefits of regular exercise when treating metatarsal pain. It is an essential component to any worthwhile treatment program. Some of these benefits include increased blood flow to the foot and toes to promote proper healing, reduced pain and swelling, increased flexibility in the foot, ankle and lower body, improved strength and coordination for daily activities.

movement of the toes

It will increase circulation and loosen stiff areas in your toes. We can sit on the bed with our legs stretched out, on the floor, or even on a chair to start. If we are in a chair, we will make sure that the toes can move freely in both directions by resting on the heels.

1. We will alternate between wrinkling (flexing) and extending the toes.
2. We will move forwards and backwards slowly until we notice that the toes loosen.
3. We will repeat 20 times for 2-3 series.

We will keep the movement relatively pain free. To address other areas in the foot and ankle, we can also choose to do some ankle movements alternating between pointing the toes and flexing the ankle (dorsiflexion and plantar flexion).

Toe flexor stretch

This stretch specifically treats the sore toe tendons that cross the ball of the foot (metatarsal heads). It can be especially helpful if you have hammertoe as well as metatarsalgia.

1. We’ll sit in a chair with the foot you want to stretch resting on the opposite thigh so you can reach your toes with your hands.
2. We will dorsiflex the ankle (toes towards the shin) slightly while using the palm of the hand to curl the toes towards the top of the foot.
3. We will move until we feel a strong stretch in the bottom of the foot and hold.

We can either hold for 30+ seconds at a time or slowly move our toes in and out of position for 15-20 reps. We will repeat the chosen option for 2-3 series.

Seated calf stretch

Calf stretches can relieve ankle stiffness and help prevent problems like bunions and plantar fasciitis.

1. We will sit in a chair or on the floor with a rubber band, towel, or belt wrapped under the ball of the foot.
2. We will keep the knee straight while raising the toes towards the shin.
3. We should feel a deep stretch at the back of the ankle in the Achilles tendon and lower leg. We will not force the stretch in any pain.
4. We will hold for more than 30 seconds for 2-3 series on each leg.

Standing calf stretch

We will stand near the back of a chair or the wall to begin.

1. We’ll bring the leg we want to stretch behind us as we walk in a lunge position with both feet flat on the ground.
2. We’ll make sure both feet are pointing forward when we start.
3. Next, we’ll shift the weight to the front leg as we bend at the knee.
4. We will keep the rear knee straight and the heel on the ground.
5. We will continue to move forward until we feel a strong stretch in the back of the ankle and lower leg.
6. We will hold for more than 30 seconds for 2-3 series on each leg.

To target the deeper calf muscles (the soleus), we’ll repeat the stretch with the rear knee slightly bent this time.