Metatarsalgia

On Monday I started noticing that I had a weird pain on the side of the ball of my right foot. It wasn't so bad that I was limping or in severe pain, but it was there and it hadn't been before. So I did what every good internet savvy person should do and googled it. To my relief, it didn't seem like it was plantar fascitis (I have several friends struggling with that now) but rather this metatarsalgia.

Metatarsalgia is a general term used to denote pain under the ball-of-the-foot. (the area just before the toes) This is a very common problem and one of the top three complaints we treat. Metatarsalgia (ball-of-foot-pain) is often located under the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th metatarsal heads, or more isolated at the first metatarsal head (near the big toe). Metatarsalgia usually responds very quickly to proper treatment.

The website suggested icing and advil, which I did.

And then I did what every internet savvy person should do and made an appointment with a professional. I just got back from my chiropractor and he agreed it was metatarsalgia. He did an adjustment of my toes (kinda like cracking your knuckles but more painful) and then an ultrasonic massage. He thought that since it had just happened and was treated quickly, this should be the end of it. I do hope so. I need to not be dealing with chronic injuries this summer.

Anyway, I hope this is a sign of my new proactive sports medicine. I feel like my regular chiropractor visits are preventative, but rather than waiting to see what this foot pain might do, I dealt with it quickly. At any rate, I thought I should blog about it to have a record of when it happened, should I have problems again.