Metatarsalgia is the condition of having pain the ball of your foot.  Many people suffer from metatarsalgia, and it is the result of a variety of different causes that vary by person.

Examples of causes of metatarsalgia include not having enough circulation of blood, bad arthritis, not standing correctly, medical disorders, or nerve damage in the toes.

In fact, nerve damage is the number one cause of metatarsalgia.  But as we will see, there are a few other causes of metatarsalgia as well.

This article will discuss what those different causes are, and the symptoms and treatments for each one.

Freiberg disease

Metatarsalgia is very closely related to Freiberg disease, which is the death of tissue in the foot and the toes. Sometimes the cause of Freiberg disease can be from sustaining bone injury, especially in adolescents and in people who have shorter toes.

Freiberg disease, and the pain in the ball of the foot, can become worse when pressure and weight is applied to the areas of pain.

This can cause the joints to swollen up and only become more painful even when more pressure is not applied.

If you are not sure that you have metatarsalgia or Freiberg disease, then you should consult your doctor. They can conduct x-rays and examinations of your foot to confirm whether or not you have Freiberg disease.

Sometimes doctors will be able to stop the pain by simply giving you medicines, injections, or a cast. They may also tell you to wear different kinds of shoes or to stand differently for better posturing.

Nerve Damage

Nerve damage, especially between the toes or in the ball of the food, can cause immense pain or swelling. Symptoms of nerve damage include feeling aching in between the toes that can develop into a tingling sensation, which in turn can lead to more pain in the ball of the foot.

When your nerves are damaged both between your toes and in the ball of your foot, this is because the nerves that travel between your toes also lead to the bottom of your foot.

When you feel pain in the ball of your foot, it can be caused by a prolonged irritation of the nerve tissue in between your toes, usually between the third and fourth toes.

These nerves can become irritated by a number of different factors, such as incorrect posture, shoes that don’t fit the feet very well, or medical conditions.

Fortunately, there are treatments available for nerve damage in your foot. If you consult with your doctor they should give you an anesthetic mixture that they can inject into the sore part of your foot.

Your doctors will also tell you to wear different shoes or change your posturing in order to alleviate the symptoms, much like the same treatments for Freiberg disease.

Other treatments include getting plenty of rest and sleep, putting a bag of ice to the sore part of your foot, or taking more injections at regular intervals as your doctor advises.

Most of these methods of treatment should help remove the pain in your foot, but if they don’t, surgery is always a last resort options to remove the neuroma (nerve damage).

Joint Pain

However, pain between your toes or in the ball of your foot may also be the result of pain between the joints.

This joint pain usually results from the misalignment of the joints, which puts pressure on the cartilage and bones in the joins, causing pain and swelling.

So if joint pain can be the cause of pain in the ball of the foot, then what is the cause of joint pain? There are actually a number of different factors that can contribute to pain in the joints.

Arthritis, a lack of tissue, or medical disorders can all be causes of joint pain.  Arthritis causes the joints to misalign even further, while a lack of tissue can result in the loss of a pillow in the ball of your foot.

This is more common in older people as more pressure is applied to the ball of their foot as they age.

Medical problems and disorders can mean that the joins can stiffen, which can lead to atypical walking and posturing.

Joint pain is painful, and it will only get worse the more you walk and apply pressure to your feet. Sometimes, the pain may become so much that you have to take regular rests on the chair or couch to allow the pain to leave your foot for the time being.

If you talk with your doctor, they will usually be able to tell if joint pain is the cause of pain in the ball of your foot after testing and examination. They will also be able to tell if an infection has resulted from the pain.

Fortunately, there is treatment for joint pain as well, and it usually is very effective.  Doctors will tell you to wear shoes that have thick soles and rounded heels.

This will greatly alleviate the pain from your foot and allow you to walk and posture better. But as with nerve damage, doctors may be forced to turn to surgery as a last result if the other treatments they give you don’t work.

Pain in the Bone

Pain in the bones of your foot can also be cause in developing metatarsalgia as well.  Pain in the bone usually results from suffering injuries directly to your foot, such as a bone fracture or damaging the tissues surrounding the bone.

As a result, pain in the bone can develop more in people who run or wear high heeled shoes the most. The pain also gets worse the more you walk.

Doctors will perform an x-ray of your foot to confirm whether or not the pain is resulting from bone pain or injury.

Doctors will apply largely the same types of treatment here, such as requiring you to wear different shoes, or inject the sore part of your foot with a drug, but again, surgery is always a last resort option.