There are many different reasons for discomfort inside the ball of the feet. A less common cause could be a problem referred to as Freiberg’s disease or infarction. This is a disorder in which the end of a metatarsal bone which is at the bottom of the toes in the front foot will become less strong and it has small bone injuries. This most frequently impacts the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal bones, although all metatarsal heads might be affected. It is thought to be a result of recurrent overload on the metatarsals bone that result in a localised deficiency of blood circulation to the bone. These metatarsal heads next become weaker and breaks. Freiberg’s disease mainly occurs in young sports athletes over about the age of 12, and more frequently impacts young females a lot more than young boys. The actual micro fractures seems to result from over stress especially in sporting activities that involve a lot of sprints, jumping or bearing weight on the ball of the foot. Wearing non supportive or non-cushioning footwear may bring about increased stress on the metatarsal heads.
The typical signs or symptoms include things like increasing pain and discomfort overlying the affected metatarsal head. There's normally a swelling and slight discoloration about the metatarsal head. The discomfort might become worse with an increase in weight bearing tasks. In most cases you will have a reduced flexibility in the affected toe joint together with discomfort found with movement of the affected toe. Having a limp to to relieve the pain in the impacted area is furthermore prevalent. Detecting Freiberg’s disease is done by a health care practitioner and it is based upon a number of features such as a full clinical review which can include a structural examination and a gait evaluation. There will be an overview of the full pain background and medical history assessment to rule out any other causes for the symptoms. The joint range of flexion will be assessed, along with a thorough palpation of the joint will be done. The definitive examination is normally done by x-ray and this frequently demonstrates a flattening towards the metatarsal bone, looking like a crushed egg shell within the most extreme cases.
The management of Freibergs disease starts with rest and immobilisation with the foot for up to 6 weeks. This is required in the early period of therapy for to permit the micro fracture in the bone to heal. The immobilisation can often be finished with a moon boot or cam walker recommended by a health practitioner. Foot supports will be utilized to minimize the painful signs and symptoms of Freibergs disease. The objective of the foot orthoses will be to accomplish this through lowering the load for the metatarsal head as well as with some posture change of the feet. They should be provide support on the symptomatic area and so are frequently prescribed following that early duration of immobilization. A metal or perhaps carbon fibre insole can also often be used to make the shoe stiffer. This means that there will be less flexion or bending with the shoe with the forefoot and this also lowers stress on the area. Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen may be used to decrease your pain and to lower inflammation. If this is not going to help then a surgical fix of the micro-fracture site may be needed to repair the damaged tissues.
