https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/190431.php

http://www.acfaom.org/information-for-patients/common-conditions/metatarsalgia

good article mdln, I think I have seen most of them already. I have the orthotics, I have corns and hammer toes & a high arch, so I seem to have a mess going on and no shoes are working for me at this point. I will need to find a new Dr. soon, mine doesn't seem to be helping anymore.

For challenging/unusual cases, professors at podiatry schools are good resources. They often have clinics affiliated with the schools.

http://www.cpme.org/colleges/content.cfm?ItemNumber=2425

I am nowhere near any of those. thanks

I've used metatarsal pads in some of my sandals and they really helped. I notice that area hurts on one of my feet today and I'm thinking my sandal isn't dense enough. (Forgot to get the pads for these shoes.) My friend has had good luck with Merrell and I like Ecco. Good luck. It's so hard to do anything when your feet hurt!

I have something similar, capsulitis. Specifically, of the second metatarsal. It's inflammation in there, but doesn't cause significant pain. My foot makes an audible noise, especially when walking barefoot on carpet. It hurts some, but not terrible.

He said the cause is anything that puts pressure on the ball of the foot. I work in lawn care, so spend a lot of time pulling weeds, etc. Also, I used to spend quite a bit of time on a ladder, painting. Now when I have to do anything like that, I"m very careful to keep my foot flat and not stand on the balls of my feet. I have orthotics, which were made with a cutout under the bad spot, so it has somewhere to go. I only wear them in my work boots, but I think they helped.

Mine has gotten much better over time, sometimes I forget about it. Maybe it would be worth asking about.

It has been years but a podiatrist also told me my feet were deformed and they don't look deformed either. Both the balls of my feet and my heels were constantly inflamed. The orthotics he had made for me helped a great deal. Then I found the Lynco brand worked just as well for less than a fourth of the cost. Then I discovered Kalso Earth shoes. The "negative heels" are slightly lower than the rest of the shoe. No orthotics needed. No more pain! If you check them out, make sure it says Kalso Earth. The other Earth shoes don't have the negative heel. Hope you find something that helps.