What Causes Pain The Ball Of The Foot (Metatarsalgia)?

Bunions

A type of foot deformity referred to as bunions can cause an individual to develop metatarsalgia. A bunion is a structural abnormality of the foot where a bony bump forms on the side of an individual's big toe. This causes the base of the big toe to stick outward and be wider than the rest of the foot. An individual may be born with bunions, or certain factors can cause them to develop one over time. When pressure is placed on the joint of the big toe over an extended period, the toe starts to angle inward toward the middle toe. This results in an alteration of the bone structure, causing the bunion bump to develop. An individual's bunion causes their forefoot alignment to become altered in a complicated fashion. This misalignment results in unhealthy areas of prominence in an individual's foot and distorts the functional anatomy of the forefoot. Individuals with bunions end up placing inappropriate force and weight on the metatarsal bones to alleviate the pain and pressure they feel when they place more weight on their bunion. This mechanism can result in the formation of metatarsalgia.