Rina van der Merwe, Physiotherapist
Definition:
A
painful condition that affects the ball of your foot, most commonly the area
between your third and fourth toes. Athletes complain about a sharp, burning
pain in the ball of the foot (more specifically the 3rd and 4th
toes) that occur after jogging for 20 minutes.
It involves a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading
to your toes.
Symptoms:
Numbness down
the insides of the third and fourth toes, and pain under the ball of the foot
which gets worse as you run. Burning, tingling
or numbness in the ball of the foot that can also radiate to toes. “Like walking on a pebble, have something in
their shoe or like their sock is bunched up.”
Overtime, the symptoms progressively get worse, become more often and last longer.
Overtime, the symptoms progressively get worse, become more often and last longer.
Cause
of symptoms:
Foot structure (eg. flat feet, high
arch, bunions, hamer toes)
Repetitive pressure on ball of foot
Shoes without proper cushioning
Treatment
options:
*
Rest, ice
*
Proper footwear (cushioning, shock absorb)
*
Orthotics
*
Calf stretches, plantar fascia stretches, foot intrinsic muscle strengthening
exercises, balance exercises
*
Possible corticosteroid injection