METATARSALGIA

Metatarsalgia is sometimes called ball-of-foot pain, which is appropriate considering that people with this condition often feel pain around the ball of their feet. But even though people feel pain there, the actual problem begins higher up, in the metatarsal bones that compose large portions of the feet.

While many patients with metatarsalgia feel pain where their metatarsal bones join their toe bones, some also feel pain along the entire length of the metatarsals and possibly between them. This pain can vary from mild to severe, depending on the cause of the condition.

Joint dysfunction, structural abnormalities, flat feet, excess body weight and repetitive foot activity can all cause metatarsalgia.

Regardless of your cause, appropriate treatment is very effective at eliminating this pain.

PES PLANUS (Flat Feet)

Pes planus, often called flat feet, is very common. Some research estimates that one quarter of the population has flat feet. In fact, we’re all born with flat feet and only as we age, somewhere between age 3 and 10, do our feet usually develop an arch.

Some people never grow arches, however, and experience fallen arches, which occurs when the arch develops but later collapses. It’s not difficult to know if you have either of these problems. While seated, with you flat feet on the ground bend down and look at the inside of either foot. If you don’t have this condition, you should see a raised area in the middle. If the whole foot is relatively flat on the ground, however, and there’s little or no noticeable rise where the arch should be, you probably have flat feet.

While recognizing flat feet might be easy, predicting its long-term effects is more difficult. Over time, flat feet can cause pain, but it’s possible for people to have the condition and never feel any discomfort. For people who do develop pain, it usually occurs in the feet and knees, and possibly in the hips and low back. The discomfort or irritation in any one of these areas can vary immensely. The pain in the foot, for example, can feel sharp, dull bruised, achy or tight.

Besides genetic causes, which prevent people from ever developing arches, there are a number of factors that can cause flat feet or predispose people to the condition. Structural abnormalities in the feet such as over-pronation, which involves the foot rolling too far inward, are one cause of the condition. Activity level also attributes. People who are regularly involved in athletic activities or work a job that requires them to remain standing for extended periods are more likely to have flat feet and experience pain from the condition, as it makes them more susceptible to soreness in the feet, knees, hips or low back. Those who aren’t active, on the other hand, may have weak muscles that are less capable of supporting the arches, which therefore allows the feet to weaken.

Age and weight also play a role in the condition’s development. Middle-aged people who have been working on their feet for years often experience flat feet. As do overweight people who are placing stress on their feet and legs. Both prolonged standing and excess weight can put on stress on the body that forces the legs and feet to do more work than they’re capable of.

HALLUX VALGUS (Bunions)

Hallux valgus is a slow-developing condition that occurs when the big toe, over many years, bends out of shape and then forms a large bump on the foot called a bunion. Look at your toes: If your big toe bends toward the other toes on the same foot, you probably have the condition.

People with hallux valgus usually report that their big toe hurts when they put weight on it – when walking, for example. But if they have a bunion, it can hurt even when don’t place any pressure on their foot, and they usually describe this pain as a “numbing” or “burning” sensation.

The name hallux valgus combines hallux, which is another term for the big toe, and valgus, which refers to the big toe’s deviation when you have the condition. Despite the name, however, the big toe isn’t the only structure affected. Three bones actually shift, two that actually make up the big toe and one in the forefoot that the toe attaches to, the first metatarsal.

The metatarsal and big toe are connected by a joint that you feel as a bump on the inside of your foot, just below the toe. Hallux valgus often develops when there’s damage to this joint, known as metatarsophalangeal joint. If you have a bunion, it’s the joint that it grows on. The usual cause of damage is some sort of chronic abuse, but other factors can be responsible, such as a broken toe that didn’t heal properly.

The condition usually becomes apparent during middle age and is most common in women who wear a lot of high-heeled or pointed shoes. Restricted foot wear of this nature can aggravate the foot and cause the condition because of the pressure it places on the big toe.

People who over-pronate, who have a genetic-based predisposition to roll their feet inward too much every time they step, are also susceptible. When they do this, it can put pressure on the big toe and first metatarsal.

Other genetic-based causes of hallux valgus include poor foot structures and inflammatory arthritis. Inflammatory arthritis can lead to the condition because it sometimes causes severe degeneration of the metatarsophalangeal joint and leads to abnormalities in surrounding bones.

PLANTAR FASCIITIS

If you long for days getting out of bed weren’t so tough on your feet, you may be suffering from platar fasciitis.

Patients with plantar fasciitis often complain of such foot pain after standing up in the morning or after a long period of sitting. The pain originates just in front of the heel bone, but can spread over the entire bottom of the foot. Over time, inflammation associated with the condition can lead to the development of scar tissue, calcium deposits and eventually a heel spur, which is a bony growth that can cause excessive stress on the plantar fascia and lead to a mild form of plantar fasciitis.

Plantar fasciitis often develops in people who have other foot conditions, especially pes plantus (flat feet) and over-pronation. Flat feet are feet that have little or no arch, while over-pronation occurs when the foot rolls too far inward when people walk. Both of these conditions can cause excess stress on the plantar fascia and lead to a mild form of plantar fasciitis.

A number of factors can exacerbate plantar fasciitis in those with preexisting conditions, as well as cause plantar fasciitis by themselves. People who are consistently on their feet, such as nurses, teachers, and waiters, are more susceptible, as are athletes who participate in foot-stressing activities such as aerobics, volleyball, running, basketball and tennis.

Many other factors also put stress on the feet and cause or contribute to plantar fasciitis. Sudden strenuous activity after a period of long-term inactivity, abnormal walking patterns, and improper footwear, walking on hard or uneven surfaces, weak foot muscles, muscle imbalances and obesity are among the chief culprits.

The thing that unites these factors is that they overwork the plantar fascia, which is a band of connected tissue that surrounds the muscle on the bottom of the foot like plastic wrap. The plantar fascia runs from the heel to the forefoot, connecting the heel bone to the ball of the foot, supporting the arch, protecting the foot and absorbing shock. Any abnormal stress relating to preexisting foot conditions or excess activity can strain the plantar fascia and lead to irritation, inflammation and severe pain.