Foot Pain on the Ball and Side of the Foot
Having a background in kinesiology and being a distance runner, I understand how annoying foot pain can be. If you are suffering from foot pain ,you do not have to. Help is here if you want some relief! Here is a little overview of some different locations of foot pain. I, Chiropodist Laura Desjardins, is located at Podiatry on Yonge at King. I have extra training that focuses on the treatment of foot pain. For all of these conditions proper prognosis and treatment is based off an examination to determine your individual weaknesses and mobility deficits.
Ball of the foot pain
This is pain on located under the bottom of your big toe. It can feel stiff, bruise-like or a burning sensation. Usually pain under the balls of the feet is called metatarsalgia which is a very general term for pain on the balls of the feet. Conditions on the balls of the feet may include neuromas, sesamoiditis or transverse arch collapses. Sometimes there may be hardened callous or lesions that cause pain in this area. The first place to start is by providing support to the weakened area while one is rehabilitating the foot strength. I am not the type of practitioner who believes in relying on an orthotic, but orthotics can be useful tools to help alleviate tissue stress while one is building the strength back into their feet. The support would be provided by pads, which is located case specific to the patient. Other means of treatment include soft tissue work and modalities such as shockwave to help promote healing. After my conference at Harvard Medical School, I learned the Doctor Professor at Harvard is a big supporter of shockwave as uses it on many conditions of the feet. He has a lot of research supporting its benefit on conditions such as these. It is always important to rule out stress fractures so I will ask you questions pertaining to this.
Side of foot pain
The foot contains an inside and and outside named medial and lateral. Peroneal tendonitis, Posterior Tibial Tendonitis and Cuboid syndrome are a few conditions located on in this area. There are muscle groups in the lower leg that are important for powering healthy foot function. Tendons are the extension of the muscle which allows the muscle to adhere to bones. When muscles become overworked and fatigued the tendons can get inflamed and painful. Treating these conditions requires restoring the function of the small foot muscles as well as improving strength in the muscles of the lower leg. Icing , resting or the use of anti inflammatories is useful in the initial stages of this condition. Orthotics to wedge the foot in a certain manner is based on the location of the condition. This helps to alleviate strain and manage the pain symptoms, again while restoring normal function of the foot and lower leg. Shockwave is a great tool used on the tendons.
There are many different types of foot pain and it is important to not only know what the condition is but to have the proper exercise plan, support and soft tissue treatment therapy to help your feet back to health. I enjoy coaching people one on one for proper form of the exercises. May approach is not only treating the symptoms, but get to the root cause of the problem. In some cases I will refer you off to a sports medicine doctor for imaging or ultrasound in a situation I feel is severe enough to do so. For chronic cases I may also refer you to a sports medicine doctor for other treatment options such as Platelet Rich Plasma injections for those chronic slow healing injuries. If you have any foot troubles, I would love to help you at our downtown Toronto Podiatry / Chiropody office!
