Pain in the Ball of the Foot

Even if the pain in the ball of your foot is mild, it can prevent you from enjoying your favorite activities. The conditions responsible for the pain seldom heal without advanced treatments provided by John Marzano, DPM, and the team at Westchester Podiatric Healing Medicine in Yonkers, New York. After running in-office diagnostics to identify the cause of your pain, your provider creates tailored treatment to heal the problem and get you back into action. To schedule an appointment, call Westchester Podiatric Healing Medicine or use online booking today.

What causes pain in the ball of the foot?

The ball of your foot refers to the padded area on the bottom of the foot just below your toes. This area takes on a lot of pressure every time you lift your heel off the ground, whether during walking, running, or any other movement.

Pain in this area is frequently diagnosed as neuroma, a condition that occurs when nerves between your toes thicken and form a lump. However, pain in the ball of your foot can have many causes that aren’t related to nerves, including:

• Hammertoe
• High arch
• Bunions
• Calluses
• Arthritis
• Stress fractures
• Weak flexor muscles
• Tight Achilles tendon
• Lisfranc injury (midfoot fracture)
• Sprains

Foot sprains often cause pain in the ball of your foot. All sprains occur when you stretch or tear ligaments. When the pain is in the ball of your foot, the sprained ligaments may connect your toes to long bones (metatarsals) or you could injure the ligaments attached to bones in the middle of your foot.

What other symptoms accompany pain in the ball of the foot?

The pain in your foot may feel like a burning, aching, or shooting pain. You may also have:

• Pain, tingling, or numbness in your toes
• Feeling that there’s a small pebble in your shoe
• Pain that’s worse when you run or walk
• Difficulty moving your toes
• Inflammation or swelling
• Bruising

The amount of pain, swelling, and other symptoms depends on the severity of the sprain or foot condition.

How is pain in the ball of the foot treated?

Your treatment depends on the underlying condition. For this reason, your Westchester Podiatric Healing Medicine provider begins by carefully diagnosing the problem. In addition to examining your foot, they perform diagnostic imaging, such as digital X-rays or ultrasound.

After diagnosing the root cause of your pain, your provider creates an individualized plan targeting the problem. Your treatment could include a range of therapies, such as:

• Immobilizing your foot and ankle
• Customized orthotics
• Activity modification
• Physical therapy
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• MLS® (multiwave locked system) laser therapy
• Restorative medicine
• TCS device

Your provider at Westchester Podiatric Healing Medicine specializes in TCS devices to promote healing in ligaments responsible for pain in the ball of your foot.

Call Westchester Podiatric Healing Medicine or schedule an appointment online to get prompt care for pain in the ball of your foot.