Metatarsaligia is characterised by a pain and/or burning and/or swelling on the ball of the foot.
Location:
One or more of the metatarsal bones and the tissues, muscles, burse and capsules directly under the metatarsal bones in the forefoot area, start to burn, hurt and swell.
Causes:
The burning sensation is normally due to abnormal pressure over a prolonged period of time, anywhere from months to years. This abnormal pressure is associated with wearing high-heeled shoes, arthritis; hard walking surfaces but the most common cause is what is known as Morton’s Syndrome.
In Morton’s Syndrome the first metatarsal bone, this is the one that the big toe bone is attached to, is unnaturally short. This results in a short first toe and a longer second toe. Because of this shortness, the first metatarsal bone cannot support all of the weight Mother Nature intended it to support. This excessive weight has to go somewhere and in the vast majority of time, it is shifted onto the second metatarsal.
This atypical shifting is what causes all the pain, swelling and burning in the metatarsaligia.
Morton’s Syndrome is a hereditary condition that is to say you are born with a short first metatarsal. About 1/3 of the population suffer from this condition.
Treatment: