Diagnosing ball of foot pain
At Kensington Physio & Sports Medicine one of the conditions we commonly and successfully treat is pain in the ball of the foot. There are many different causes and pathologies responsible for ball foot pain. Normally the patient will present with pain on the under surface of the front aspect of the foot of just under the base of the toes.
Your physiotherapist will initially ask you lots of questions to decipher the nature and onset of your condition, the exact site of the pain and what activities makes it worse. A full objective foot and ankle assessment will follow to establish a diagnosis, what caused of the problem and what treatment will be most appropriate.
Pain in Ball of the foot common conditions
Metatarsalgia is the name given to pain in the front part of your foot under the heads of your metatarsal bones (the ball of your foot). Metatarsalgia can linked to various conditions such as:
- Stress fractures of the metatarsals
- A Mortons Neuroma (a small fibroma formation or nerve irritation)
- Hallus Valgus (bunions)
- Hammer / Claw toe deformities
- Arthritis
- Gout
Being diabetic, wearing high heels, high impact activity, having very high arches, being overweight and calf tightness can also all predispose you to developing pain in balls of your feet.
Ball of foot pain relief techniques
The good news is that many of these conditions can be effectively treated and resolved with the right physiotherapy care. At Kensington Physio we successfully treat pain in the balls of feet in a manner of ways, depending on your diagnosis. This may initially include gait and running analysis and correction using treadmill and video analysis. Other techniques we have up our sleeve include; manual therapy, foot & ankle manipulations, electrotherapy, soft tissue release and stretching and lower limb strengthening. All of our physiotherapists are also qualified to use acupuncture for relieving foot pain and surrounding muscle tightness.
We also work alongside London’s top foot and ankle consultants to allow for prompt scanning and onward referral where indicated.
Contact Information
To book an initial consultation for your feet with one of our expert physiotherapists, please call us on 0207 6030040 or email us at info@kenphysio.com.
Reference
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/metatarsalgia
