Forefoot pain and metatarsalgia
Pain at the forefoot (or front of the foot) can be caused be due to a number of different issues and conditions. A few of these conditions will be described below such as:
Metatarsalgia
Metatarsalgia is a general term for pain at the forefoot generally
underneath the foot in the area of the joints of the toes. It can
be across all joints or on one single area of the forefoot. The
pain is worsened when either in barefoot or in shoes with a slight
heel, due to the lack of cushioning in appropriate shoes. In basic
terms, metatarsalgia is caused by excessive point loading of an
area, often due to an alignment or biomechanical issues. For more info on how to
diagnose and treat metatarsalgia click here
Morton's neuroma
Morton's neuroma is a more specific problem to metatarsalgia and involves pain and numbness in the areas between the 2nd-3rd or 3rd-4th toes.
The cause of a
Morton's neuroma is related to nerve impingement which leads to
pain and numbness in this area. For more information around how to
diagnose and treat Morton's neuroma click here
Hallux valgus (bunions)
Hallux valgus is the term given to what is most
commonly known as bunions. In this condition the big toe joint is
often inflamed and painful. The big toe is deviated to varying
degrees towards the 2nd toe
with
the 1st MTP joint more
pronounced. There are a number of reasons for hallux valgus such as
over pronation and
biomechanical
issues.
Footwear can also
become problematic as wider footwear is needed to accomodate the
"bunion".
Gor more
information on how to diagnose manage and treat hallux valgus or
bunions click here.
Hallux limitus and Hallux rigidus (also 1st toe arthriitis)
Hallux
limitus is where there are issues with the motion of the 1st toe
and it is reduced impacting on it's ability to move upwards
(dorsiflex)
when walking.
The big toe has an extremely important function
in walking to aid in stability and propulsion when pushing off from
one foot to the next.
When the foot cannot do this either due to
arthriitis or poor foot biomechanics compensatory movements
take place. This is likely to cause secondary issues such as (click
on these links to get more detail on each
issue)
For more in depth information and how to diagnose and treat Hallux
limitus and Hallux rigidus click here