Northern Foot & Ankle Associates

Ball of Foot Pain

The pain in the ball of your foot can be caused by many factors including capsulitis, neuroma or metatarsalgia. Metatarsalgia is a general term used to denote a painful foot condition in the metatarsal region of the foot (the area just before the toes, more commonly referred to as the ball of the foot).

What causes Ball-of-Foot Pain?

Ball-of-foot pain is often caused from improper fitting footwear, most frequently by women’s dress shoes and other restrictive footwear. Footwear with a narrow toe area forces the ball-of-foot area to be forced into a minimal amount of space. This can inhibit the walking process and lead to extreme discomfort in the forefoot.

Other factors that can cause excessive pressure in the ball-of-foot area include standing for long periods in work boots or participating in high impact activities without proper footwear. Also as we get older, the fat pad in our foot tends to thin out, making us much more susceptible to pain in the ball of the foot.

Treating ball-of-foot pain is often a simple, non-surgical procedure.

Call Northern Foot & Ankle today and set an appointment with one of our board certified podiatrists to relieve the pain in the ball of your foot. Your feet don’t have to hurt.