Treatment of Ball-of-foot Pain
As mentioned previously, due to multifactor causes or manifold diseases, it is not easy to determine ball-of-foot pain accurately based on just symptoms. The underlying problems should be identified and diagnosed completely to gain sufficient knowledge of the most likely cause, which will help to plan an effective treatment. Otherwise, any attempt on general management is not effective and will not eliminate the discomfort, but may exacerbate the condition along with the underlying disease.
Simple measures to address the ball-of-foot pain temporarily include applying cold pack, taking weight off the foot and resting, applying compression bandage or using protecting devices on the toes.
Improper fit of the shoe mostly aggravates the foot pain. Replacement of shoes answers improper fit. Footwear with high, wide toe-box and flexible sole is recommended to spread the toes and reduce the stress on the ball-of-foot. Shoes with narrow toe room increase the symptoms of neuroma, which is another cause of ball-of-foot pain. Such shoes push and crush the ball-of-foot area into the forefoot, which reduces toe room volume. Also, high-heeled shoes without proper or worn-out footbeds or insoles lead to ball-of-foot pain.
Several kinds of pads are available in the market to help bring down pressures on the foot. Orthotic footbeds may be provided with metatarsal pads beneath ball-of-foot to shift and disperse the resulting pressure across the length of the foot. Gel metatarsal cushions and metatarsal bandages are other products to treat the condition.
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