Nearly two thirds of Americans are considered to be overweight or obese. These estimations have only increased since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Most people are aware of the major health risks associated with being overweight or obese — heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and even erectile dysfunction are all linked with obesity.
What might not be as well known is that obesity can cause serious problems in your feet. Metatarsalgia is a significant issue for your feet, and obesity is one of the main causes of it.
What is Metatarsalgia?
Metatarsalgia is a medical condition that occurs when the ball of your foot becomes inflamed and starts to hurt. The ball of your foot is the area where your toes connect to your foot. Each of your toes is connected to a metatarsal bone that runs to the middle of your foot.
The five metatarsal bones in your foot are numbered one to five from your big toe down to your little toe. They are responsible for forming the arch in your foot and supporting your weight whenever you walk or stand.
Metatarsalgia isn’t a life-threatening or overly serious condition, but the pain it causes in the metatarsal bone can become quite unbearable because of the inflammation . It can be difficult to determine if you are experiencing metatarsalgia or run of the mill achy feet due to a hard day at work.
Typically, the symptoms of metatarsalgia will come on slowly over the course of a few months.
These are the most common symptoms of metatarsalgia:
-
Sharp, aching, or burning sensation in the ball of your foot
-
Feeling like you have a pebble stuck in your shoe
-
Shooting pain, tingling, or numbness in one or more of your toes
These symptoms will usually get much worse whenever you try to stand, walk, run, or jump. They can especially be painful whenever you are barefoot or standing on a hard surface.
What Causes Metatarsalgia?
There are several different conditions that are common causes of metatarsalgia. In many cases, it will be a combination of factors that results in the symptoms of metatarsalgia.
Excessive weight
You are certainly aware that your foot supports your entire body weight whenever you are standing. The various muscles, ligaments, and bones of your feet are capable of supporting a lot of weight, especially when the load is split between the two of them. However, the problem with carrying extra weight really becomes an issue whenever you walk.
Most of your body weight will transfer to the top half of your foot (i.e. the forefoot) whenever you take a step. Instead of having your body weight supported by two feet, it is not only supported by half of one foot. The extra pressure of your metatarsals can eventually result in severe pain or metatarsalgia.
Overuse
Marathon runners and athletes in certain sports will commonly experience issues involving their knees, ankles, and feet. The impact that comes with running or jumping is primarily absorbed by the cartilage in your joints. But there is a limit as to how much the human body can take.
The front of the foot is the part of your body that pushes off the ground to large your forward or upward. Using your body weight and applying extra pressure with your muscles may generate a tremendous amount of force. The excessive force of high-impact sports can result in the stress fracture of a metatarsal. It won’t take long before the front of your foot can get sore and experience severe pain with this type of overuse injury.
Shoes
Shoes are an important part of your look, but wearing the wrong ones can cause a lot of problems with your feet. High heels have a particularly high risk of metatarsalgia in women as they shift their body weight to the front of their feet. Men are also susceptible to developing metatarsalgia from their footwear as well.
Athletic shoes that lack the proper arch support or have poor padding can cause some problems. Even non-athletic footwear can be an issue if the toe box is particularly narrow.
Make sure that you are wearing shoes that allow your toes to wiggle, have proper support, and don’t shift your body weight. It may be worth it to invest in a metatarsal pad to provide extra cushioning if you’re experiencing symptoms.
Deformities
There are some people that are just genetically predisposed to have problems with their feet. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done about these genetic conditions.
It’s important to make sure that you receive a diagnosis sooner rather than later so that you don’t make the problem worse by accident.
These are a few of the genetic deformities that can cause metatarsalgia:
-
Claw foot is a condition that causes your foot to have a very high arch that doesn't flatten when you walk. An imbalance of muscles prevents your foot from flattening, causing your body weight to rest solely on the balls of your feet. Claw foot can run in families, but it can also be the symptom of neurological disorder such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, or spina bifida.
-
Hammer toes occur when the three joints of your toe are abnormal. The metatarsal bone is bent upward, while the middle joint and end joint are bent downward. The result is a toe that is bent like a claw. Hammer toe can be hereditary, but may also be the result of injury, improper footwear, bunions, or arthritis.
-
Morton’s neuroma is a condition that primarily affects the nerves that run in between your metatarsal bones. These plantar digital nerves are squeezed due to the thickening of tissues surrounding your metatarsal bones. Morton’s neuroma can be passed down genetically, but it can also be the result of an injury, overuse, or improper footwear.
How Do You Treat Metatarsalgia?
The treatments of metatarsalgia will largely depend on what caused it in the first place. Fortunately, metatarsalgia is easily treatable at home and shouldn’t require any surgery.
These are a few home remedies and lifestyle changes that can help with metatarsalgia:
-
Stay off your feet: Metatarsalgia is largely the result of placing too much pressure on your feet. Try to rest your feet and elevate them for a while to soothe the symptoms.
-
Lose some weight: There are a lot of health benefits that come with shedding some extra pounds. One pound of extra weight creates nearly four pounds of force on your feet. So even losing just five pounds can take 20 pounds of pressure off of your feet.
-
Use ice packs: The healing powers of ice have long been recognized and apply in this situation. Fill up a water bottle and place it in the freezer. Roll it with your feet to help dull the pain and reduce any swelling that you might be experiencing.
-
Add more cushion in your shoes: Get rid of any shoes that you don’t properly fit and put some more padding in the ones that do. The natural fat padding in your feet gets thinner over time so you’ll need to get thicker padding as you get older.
-
Perform foot exercises: There are a few exercises that are designed to help alleviate foot pain. For metatarsalgia, the best exercise involves using a tennis ball. All you have to do is sit in a chair barefoot. Roll a tennis ball back and forth with each foot at least two times per day.
When Should I Consult a Doctor?
Metatarsalgia can turn simple tasks into extremely painful ones. Feeling severe pain in your feet can be enough to ruin any activity. There are a few potential causes of metatarsalgia including being overweight, overuse, improper footwear, and genetic disorders.
If you are experiencing intense pain in your feet and you don't know what to do? Rex MD’s parent company LifeMD can connect you to a licensed medical professional to help you find the best treatment plan for your metatarsalgia. Make an online appointment today to get started.
