Metatarsalgia pain

Metatarsalgia and antifatigue mats

2010-06-02T13:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Al had successfully overcome his metatarsalgia pain problems. As I had advised him, it is important that if you feel pain in the balls of your feet, you take it seriously, get an appointment with your doctor and get it taken care of. As the days went by, I made a suggestion to Al.

“Al, you know you could potentially help in preventing metatarsalgia again if you pay attention to putting some good quality anti-fatigue mats in your machining area. Think about it, you will be providing added cushioning to your heels as well as to your metatarsal bone heads which can only reduce the probability of the metatarsalgia pain returning simply from common-sense”

“I already have anti-fatigue mats”, Al retorted.

“Yeah, but Al, those mats are over ten years old. Throw them away, spend some money and get some new anti-fatigue mats”, I told him.

“Would you ride in your car with tires that are ten years old? No, right? Then why let your body stand on ten year old mats?”

Al got the point. But my thought is, we sometimes ignore matting and other simple things and do not change them as often as we should. I am not lobbying for the matting industry, but you know if it can possibly reduce potential pain, then it might be worthwhile considering changing them periodically.

Metatarsalgia and dance

2009-07-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

Everyone loves to dance to relieve their stresses and to express themselves in an artistic form. Both music and dance have been nurtured over the ages as far as humanity has existed over several cultures, lands and peoples. However, from a medical and human physiology standpoint, one needs to be careful when taking up a rigorous dance routine to avoid painful conditions such as metatarsalgia.

For example, ardent followers of the traditional classical south Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam have to balance themselves on the balls of their feet during several renditions of the art. This is a classic case where one can put one’s self in a high risk category for acquring metatarsalgia symptoms. In addition to balancing, Bharatanatyam dancers are many times required to pound the balls of their feet on to the floor to the rhythms of the drum beats and this is even more risky from the points of view of metatarsalgia, especially when the dancers are older adults and those adults that are somewhat overweight.

In western cultures, during the training and performance sessions of ballet, many a time, the performers are required to put their entire body weight on the balls of their feet; again, this could be detrimental from the stand point of getting affected with metatarsalgia. Dance practices such as waltz or other slow dance movements are generally preferred as they are gentle on the feet.

As in all things, one does not need to stop all dancing; all that is recommended is to pay a close watch to the stress levels that are being put and not to overdo anything in excess. As the old saying goes, moderation is always the best route.

Metatarsalgia affected population

2009-07-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

One many times wonders about the type of population that gets affected by metatarsalgia to see if they are in a high risk category or a low risk category. Well, generally, metatarsalgia is gender blind, meaning it affects both men and women alike, although middle aged women apparently are slightly at more risk than similarly aged men. Metatarsalgia is also race and ethnicity blind, meaning that people of all races and ethnicities are equally at risk. Metatarsalgia does not affect children as much as it affects the adolescent and older population.

Joggers and athletes who put tremendous levels of stress on their metatarsal bone heads without wearing proper footwear are at a higher risk category. So are people that climb ladders all day or bend down and work at low physical level stations. Women that wear high heel shoes are at a high risk of suffering from metatarsalgia and so are people that wear flimsy shoes that provide little or no arch support.

People that are overweight impose high levels of stress on their feet structures including the metatarsal bone heads and are therefore at a higher risk level. It therefore behooves to pay attention to the body weight. It is therefore important that ALL people, regardless of the walk of life, pay careful attention to their metatarsal bones and thereby try to reduce or minimize the potential pain that could result from a metatarsalgia condition.

Metatarsalgia prevention

2009-07-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

Believe me, you do not want to suffer from metatarsalgia foot pain like my friend Al or thousands of other people that suffer from this painful condition. It is easy to take your feet for granted and not think about it until it DEMANDS your attention. We all know that our brain is far removed from our feet physically, but there is no need to abuse them everyday as some people do.

Well, how can you follow a prevention regimen for metatarsalgia. First of all, wear shoes that provide proper arch support and have well designed insoles that provide ample cushioning. Avoid putting undue stresses on the balls of the feet by pounding them on hard surfaces for extended periods of time. Avoid wearing high heel shoes as these tend to shift the body weight to the heads of the metatarsal bones rather than allow for the area of the whole feet to take up and distribute the body weight.

You can make progress in preventing metatarsalgia pain conditions by trying to keep your body weight to as close as possible to what is recommended by your physicians and health care professionals. Massage your feet every so often with your hands using mild oils such as pure sesame oil and then wash. Try to minimize walking on very hard surfaces like concrete floors on bare feet, especially if you have a high arch.

As in many other diseases, prevention is always better than cure, as the age old saying goes, and preventing metatarsalgia is no different.

Shoes for metatarsalgia

2009-07-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

You know about the first and foremost action to take if you suspect metatarsalgia, is to switch your shoes and purchase shoes specifically designed for metatarsalgia sufferers. Such metatarsalgia footwear is designed to provide proper arch support, so that the feet, when you are standing, do not put undue stresses on the balls of your feet. Rather, the body weight is uniformly distributed over the length of the feet.

Stress is defined by mechanical engineers and physicists by the equation stress is equal to weight divided by the area supporting the weight. As you can see, when the body weight is supported by the entire feet, the area in the denominator is higher and therefore the stress is lower. However, when the body weight is supported only by the balls of the feet, the value of the denominator is relatively lower and so the stress level on the balls of the feet or the metatarsal heads is higher. Shoes for metatarsalgia compensate for high arched feet by providing proper support.

Additionally, the cushioning effect of the insoles provide added comfort in reducing the discomfort and pain felt. Especially if you are going to be climbing ladders a lot and putting undue loads on the metatarsal bone heads, you ought to consider taking a closer look at your shoes.

As a precautionary measure, once you have identified the shoes that you like, you may want to show them to your podiatrist and get his or her opinion regarding the fitness for your specific use. What you think is fine may not necessarily be the best choice per medical professionals. The advice of your podiatrist is priceless when it comes to the choice of shoes to prevent getting metatarsalgia.

Mortons neuroma and metatarsalgia

2009-07-02T03:09:00.000-07:00

I had not seen Al for about two months since I met him last. My work schedule was getting to be pretty hectic and there was nearly no time left for after work escapades for some time. I was kind of concerned about Al, though, wondering how he was doing with his metatarsalgia pain problem. So I called him on the phone on a Saturday and checked up on his progress.

“I feel great now”, he said. “The wide width shoes with some specific orthotic foot inserts that the podiatrist gave me are doing miracles. I feel no pain at all and that has made me happy”, said Al and I could hear the feeling of relief right in his voice.

“You are lucky, Al; you did not end up with Morton’s neuroma or other problems.”

“What is Morton’s neuroma?”, he questioned me.

“Basically, Morton’s neuroma is a special form of metatarsalgia wherein a fibrous tissue growth that is non-cancerous that usually occurs between the heads of the fourth and third metatarsal bones. This growth can start pinching the nerves causing excessive pain. Generally Morton’s neuroma is caused by very narrow shoes or high heels.”

“And how do they treat Morton’s neuroma?”

“Back to the basics, first, Al. Better designed shoes, podiatrist recommended or designed orthotic inserts help the situation. In advanced cases, they may inject a pain killer such as cortisone into the area or in extreme cases go for surgery.”

“Thank God”, said Al.

“I know. So take care of your feet, Al if you want to be able to walk around without pain.”

Metatarsalgia treatments

2009-07-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

I came home after my after hour escape at the bar and my wife had dinner ready for me. Believe it or not, a nice juicy steak, medium rare ( for those of you who always get it well done or burnt, you don’t know what you are missing; medium rare is the only way I take it ), green beans and mashed potatoes with a tall glass of good old Coca-cola. After our dinner, I told her about Al and his problems with foot pain and told her about how my novice diagnosis of metatarsalgia was confirmed by his doctor.

My wife was kind of concerned and asked if there was any treatment that Al could undergo for his metatarsalgia.

“Sure”, I told her, “there are plenty of metatarsalgia treatments out there. See the key is to find what caused the metatarsalgia in the first place. See, Al stands on a hard surface all day and stoops over his machines for the better part of the day putting tremendous levels of stresses on the balls of his feet. To add to this, he wears shoes that have flimsy soles. Podiatrists can provide for specific orthotics that can alleviate the pressure on the metatarsal bones or prescribe anti-inflammatory medicines. In severe cases, surgery may be needed too.”

“You mean he needs to change his shoes?”

“Exactly. He needs to get shoes that provide good cushioning first of all. Second of all, he needs to change his body posture while he works on his machines. One thing he could do is to stand closer and consciously make sure that he stands on his feet completely rather than on the toes of his feet and on the balls of the metatarsal bones.”

“The other thing he needs to do is to try to reduce his body weight. All the weight is being carried by feet and reduction in body weight will help in reducing metatarsalgia symptoms; and besides body weight control is good for the general health and well-being also.”

“From what you are saying, my high heel shoes may potentially cause problems for me too; do you think I should get rid of them?”

“That is not a bad idea”, I told her, knowing very well that she loves her high heel shoes.

“And shouldn’t you be staying off that beer and ice-cream and all that and start losing weight, so we are not in a hunt for treating you metatarsalgia when you get it?”, she said knowing very well how much I loved my fattening foods.

“That is not a bad idea, either”, I said, wanting to be politically correct.

What causes metatarsalgia

2009-06-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

One week after my trip to the local bar with Al, we met again at the same place. I was afraid to ask Al if he had gone to the podiatrist yet, fearing he might retract himself and change the subject or use some other tactic to skirt the issue. So I started off with small talk about the weather and then we talked about baseball. Al loved baseball and that was always a subject that would get him talking.

As we were talking, the bartender had brought us both some ice cold beer; Al always had Budweiser; I stuck with Coors. There is something about Coors that I like over other beers. What it is, I do not know. Anyway, as the evening conversation was just getting underway, Al suddenly brought up the topic of his metatarsalgia foot pain.

“You know I went to my podiatrist yesterday.”

“And what did she say?”

“Believe it or not, she said exactly what you told me. She said I had all of the symptoms of metatarsalgia.”

“Were you surprised?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. I told her you told me the same thing. I then asked her what causes metatarsalgia?”

“I can tell you that Al,” I interrupted. “You see, when the metatarsals which are the long bones just behind the toes, get overloaded and stressed beyond acceptable limits, you feel the pain that you are feeling. Sometimes, the nerves between the second and third toes may get squeezed and inflamed and that can cause pain too. You see, Al if you were a lady that wore high heel shoes all the time, then your body weight gets pretty much put on the balls of your feet and you would become a prime candidate for metatarsalgia.”

“But I am not a lady. I am a male machinist.”

“Yes, but you stand on concrete all day and I have seen you over and over again, stooping over your machines to do some set ups or some programing and things like that when you are basically supporting your whole body by the balls of your feet. No wonder you have metatarsalgia.”

“And by my wearing cheap flimsy shoes, I am not helping the situation, the doctor told me.”

“Precisely.”

“I tell you, I am so happy I went to see the podiatrist, thanks to your insistence.”

“You are welcome, Al.” And we left for the evening.

Metatarsalgia pain symptoms

2009-06-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

About a week after our after hours escape at the local bar, when Al had told me about the pain in his feet, we met again after work in the same bar. And I asked Al how his foot pain was doing. “ Oh, the pain is still unbearable”, he told me.

I said “Al, if you are having pain below your big toe and between your second and third toes, these are classic metatarsalgia pain symptoms”, I told him. “You see, your feet are basically supporting your body and working at your machine shop, you are standing for eight to ten hours every day on concrete flooring. And being so cheap as you are, I see that your shoes are showing their age. You have money to blow on all kinds of things but you wont spend any money on good shoes. Metatarsalgia loves to make friends with folks like you.

“Tell me more about pain symptoms related to metatarsalgia”, Al said.

“Metatarsalgia pain symptoms are much different from other pain characteristics in your feet. For example, if the pain is from the forefeet to the heels, happens early in the mornings when you wake up and goes away after some time, then it is a totally different problem. That is called plantar fasciitis. But if you have pain in the balls of your feet, between the first and the second toe as you are describing, it is most likely metatarsalgia”, I told him.

“I did find a podiatrist, by the way. She seems like a nice doctor.”

“And did you fix an appointment.”

“As a matter of fact, yes, I will be seeing her next week.”

“Good for you, Al. We will meet here again next week. I am sure you will be glad you saw the doctor.”

I was happy that Al finally decided to get an appointment with his podiatrist. He is such a hard worker, I hate to see him suffer with pain like this. Then again, he did not have a spouse who could have pushed him to go and seek medical help. Al’s wife passed away over a dozen years ago after battling with cancer. He lived alone. His only daughter lived several states away and Al kind of kept his problems away from her. In a way, I guess I took on the role of nudging him to take care of his body.

Metatarsalgia foot pain

2009-06-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

This blog deals with metatarsalgia. Metatarsalgia is a foot pain condition. This deals with the metatarsalgia foot pain that my friend Al had and it deals with our exchanges dealing with it. My friend Al was the owner of a small machine shop that basically had two people; himself and his brother-in-law Keith. Al’s dad was fairly well to do, having made some wise real estate investments in his early years and had amassed quite some wealth. Al had worked in the auto body repair business for quite some time and then wanted to start his own business. He then talked with his dad about it; the dad told him that he would finance the loans required to get his machine shop equipped and facilitated and then Al could then run it.

By the time I had met Al, he was in his late fifties, almost approaching sixty years in age. That late in life, he still worked very hard as far as I could tell, constantly machining parts every day. That is quite a bit of work considering the fact that it was a job shop business, meaning that one day they could be making a thousand widgets and the next day they could be asked to make a two piece prototype piece for experimental purposes and the third day they could be making parts made of plastic and the fourth day they could be making something out of stainless steel and so on. So it involved a lot of machine set ups and tool set ups and programming and so on.

Al and I became real close friends. One day after work, we went to a local bar and decided to have a couple of drinks. I remember the day very clearly. On that summer evening, Al told me that he was having significant pains in his feet. I asked him what kind of pains were they and where were they really felt the most. He told me that he felt his pains the most under his big toe; “in the balls of my feet”, he told me. I said “Al, you probably have metatarsalgia.”

“What is metatarsalgia?”, he asked me with a grin on his face.

“Al, you probably think I have no idea of what I am talking about; but let me tell you, if you severe pain in the balls of your feet, you probably cannot rule out metatarsalgia.”

“Did you bang your feet against something or did something drop on your feet?”

“No.”

“Did you hit a rock or some other hard object with the balls of your feet?”

“No.”

“Then you cannot rule out metatarsalgia. Get an appointment with your podiatrist and take care of this rightaway.”

“But I don’t know of a podiatrist.”

“Then find one real quick.”

We paid the bartender and we called it a day.

Legal and Medical Disclaimer

2009-06-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is not to disseminate any medical advice either expressed or implied nor provide any medical information either express or implied nor recommend any medical treatments either express or implied to diagnose, cure or prevent any disease(s) or medical condition(s). The author of this blog is NOT a medical doctor and recommends that you seek the advice of a licensed medical practitioner in order to obtain information, diagnosis and cure for any ailments that you may have AND furthermore the author of this blog does not recommend, endorse or approve of any information, tests, products or procedures mentioned on this site. By visiting this site, you agree to hold harmless all parties involved in the development and presentation of this site, including its contents against any damages including but not limited to physical, bodily, mental or financial damages that may or may not arise from the use or disuse of the information presented herein, which is solely for entertainment purposes only. The experiences presented herein are strictly coincidental, may not be reproducible and any resemblance to any living being of any of the characters in this site is strictly coincidental. It is strongly advised that you seek the advice of a medical professional prior to commencing a diet, treatment, exercise or yoga program. All of the data presented herein including experiences both physical and mental are purely for entertainment purposes only and this site does not seek to present any medical advice either express or implied. By visiting this site, you agree to hold the author(s) of this site harmless from any claims, actions, demands, liabilities or settlements including without limitation, legal and accounting fees resulting from or alleged to result from your violation of this disclaimer and terms of use.

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2009-06-26T14:47:00.000-07:00

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