When you are experiencing chronic pain in your feet when walking or exercising, you may wonder what you can do to improve your situation. After a trip to your podiatrist and an analysis of your symptoms, you are likely both relieved and confused when you receive a diagnosis of metatarsalgia. Before you worry that this condition will never improve, get to know some of the treatment options available to you for your metatarsalgia and get started in your journey to feeling better and being able to work out and walk without foot pain.
Lifestyle Changes and Rest
Metatarsalgia is often brought on by excess pressure on the ball of the foot which can cause stress fractures as well as other factors that can cause your metatarsalgia. As such, relieving the pressure can help to improve your situation and heal your foot. Resting your feet more can help with this condition. You will want to elevate your feet and treat them with ice packs and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs (like ibuprofen).
Additionally, you will want to be sure that you always wear comfortable shoes that are not too tight and do not constrict your feet. Orthotics and braces to redistribute the pressure from the ball of your foot are also options that your podiatrist can help you get fitted for.
Metatarsalgia can also be related to carrying extra weight on your body. If you are overweight, you may want to consider weight loss as an option to help relieve your metatarsalgia pain and reduce the pressure that you place on your feet on an everyday basis.
Injections or Surgery
If these self-care techniques are not enough to relieve your metatarsalgia pain and discomfort, you may need more extensive treatments. Cortisone injections are a treatment option that could help you with your metatarsalgia.
Cortisone injections are an anti-inflammatory treatment that is more targeted and effective than taking oral medications. They provide swift relief of the pain you experience because the tissues in your feet are swollen and inflamed. The effects are also longer lasting than oral over-the-counter medications.
If regular cortisone injections do not provide lasting relief, you may need surgery to correct the underlying problem causing your metatarsalgia. Nerve issues and damage can sometimes cause the tingling and pain you experience. The only way to permanently fix this is for a surgeon to explore the area and potentially shave down bones that are pinching the nerve or in some cases removing the affected portion of the nerve or rerouting it. Surgery is usually a last resort, though, as foot surgery can take a long period of time to recover from and can cause other complication for your overall foot health.
Now that you have a few ideas of how to treat your metatarsalgia, you can talk to a podiatrist, like Advanced Foot Clinic, and determine which options are best for you.
Share17 December 2015
