Ball of foot pain, more commonly known as metatarsalgia, is a general term to denote a painful condition in the area just before the toes in the metatarsal region of the foot. The bones in this region equally share the weight of a person during walking and daily activities. The most common cause of metatarsalgia pain is an imbalance in the long bones of the foot, which itself is usually due to genetic conditions or improper biomechanics. The discomfort associated with ball of foot pain is frequently brought on and exacerbated by wearing improper fitting footwear. Other causes include arthritis, diabetes, which can cause nerve-type pain in the foot, calluses or skin lesions that force the weight on the foot be unevenly distributed. Additional causes of ball of foot pain include sports that place tremendous pounding on the ball of the foot and shoes with small toe boxes that cramp your toes like dress shoes with pointed toes or high heels.
