How orthotics can help ball of foot pain

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Ball of foot pain is a common condition often seen in the area on the bottom of the foot just before the toes. Common names for ball of foot pain include Metatarsalgia and Morton’s Neuroma. If properly diagnosed, both problems can be treated. Symptoms can include a burning, throbbing or stabbing pain when both wearing shoes and when bare foot. Ball of foot pain can make every day activites very uncomfortable.

Pain occurs in the ball of the foot as each time we take a step we push off with the ball of our foot and our toes meaning that 100% of our body weight is placed on the balls of the feet. If the structures of our feet are not aligned we can experience pain in the ball of the foot. Other causes can include wearing footwear without with insufficient toe area and wearing high heels which cause excessive pressure on the ball of the foot. 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.

The good news is that treatment is available for people suffering from ball of foot pain. The most effective treatment is custom made orthotics which are made to unload the pressure from the ball of the foot. In order to full diagnose the problem and prescribe custom orthotics it is recommended that all patients have a Functional (Biomechanical) Assessment which includes a video gait analysis and pressure plate analysis. A video gait analysis looks at the walk you walk to check for any biomechanical problems such as pronation and supination. Pressure plate studies look at the forces running through your feet when walking and allows the Podiatrist to spot excessive pressure points on the soles of your feet.

There are several ways in which custom orthotics are used to treat ball of foot pain:

    1. Replace the fatty pads on the balls of the feet

 

As I mentioned earlier, as we get older the fatty pads in the balls of our feet can thin out. Custom orthotics replace and protect the balls of the feet using materials that absorb excessive pressure and friction. The orthotics do not add bulk but will act as though more fat was added to our feet.

    1. Accommodate biomechanical problems

 

If you have a biomechanical problem such as pronation which is causing your ball of foot pain, custom orthotics can be manufactured to evenly distribute the pressure on your feet and return your foot stance to neutral rather than rolling inwards or outwards. This will remove the excessive weight and pressure from the balls of the feet.

    1. Support High Arches

Custom orthotics can be designed to allow high arches to function as if they were a normal height. Therefore the arch will bear its normal weight and will reduce the weight and pressure on the ball of the foot, the fatty pads and metatarsal heads.

2. Relieve pressure on the metatarsal heads

 If your suffer from Metatarsalgia a metatarsal pad will need to be incorporated into the custom orthotic in order to relieve pressure, and redistribute weight from the painful area to more tolerant areas.

As well as wearing custom orthotics it is essential that you wear appropriate footwear with sufficient room in the toe area of the shoe. When trying on new shoes, make sure that you can wiggle your toes.
By following our advice your ball of foot pain should be relived and you should be able to carry on with normal activities as usual. If you are unsure about the cause of your ball of foot pain, make an appointment with your Podiatrist for a consultation.

 

By | 2018-01-22T14:51:47+00:00 November 21st, 2012|Blog|0 Comments