Pain in balls of feet

[MadisonCounty]

Hi can anyone recommend good shoe inserts for pain in the ball of my foot? It feels as if I have lost the 'padding' on the bottom of my feet! I've seen many products online but if anyone has a recommendation I would be grateful. Thanks

[helixhelix]

sounds like you need to see a podiatrist to check the cause of the pain and most likely give you custom made inserts.

[MadisonCounty in reply to helixhelix]

I hadn't thought of that, thank you.

[AgedCrone]

Have you had your feet checked for neuromas? Why don’t you see a podiatrist…or an orthopaedic foot surgeon?

Ultra sound guided injections can often help your problem.

[MadisonCounty in reply to AgedCrone]

Perhaps that's what I need to do. Thank you for the suggestion.

[medway-lady]

Sounds like Morton’s Neuroma and yes it is very painful, But it can be surgically treated or by injection either way it’s vital to see an Orthopaedic Surgeon. I’ve had mine removed and pain free.

[MadisonCounty in reply to medway-lady]

It sounds a bit more serious than I thought, I have a GP appointment next week. I will see if they can make a referral. Thank you. I'm glad to hear that you are now pain free.

[AgedCrone in reply to medway-lady]

Lucky you,..I had injections - surgery -more injections…no success…lJust off to see new Footy…to see if there is anything new on the horizon.

[medway-lady in reply to AgedCrone]

The stump can regrow and they were done twice and I’ve had injections too. Had to pay though as NHS so slow and when your foot hurts it needs to be done quick. X

[AgedCrone in reply to medway-lady]

Apparently in my area they will only do the injections on the NHS.

I too had mine done privately.l.but my lovely foot surgeon just .”had it” with the NHS side of his work,,,,& retired.

[AgedCrone]

Get some professional advice. You could make things ten times worse by using the wrong thing.

[catcat01]

Ask your Rhuematology team to refer you to a podiatrist and if you need them he/she will take a mould of your feet and supply you with the insoles xx

[MadisonCounty in reply to catcat01]

I will catcat, thank you xx

[Luludean]

you have had good advice MC. I should get a face to face consultation before you guess “what you might have”.

My rheumatologist refused to look at my feet , told me to self refer to a podiatrist. Saw one , got hard plastic orthotics, totally useless. Saw another , she filed my toenails ?? Today seeing another, all nhs , very long wait for appointment!

I have a vile boney knobble on top of either foot. Arthritis , the scan said but nothing has been followed up . In morning can’t walk , make myself go for walks but increasingly painful. So… wait and see what this podiatrist says , he/ she has surname Salvage!! Lets hope he can !

So, fight now to get gour feet looked at , they are amazingly useful !

[MadisonCounty in reply to Luludean]

So true Luludean! I hope today's appointment is successful for you.

[Luludean in reply to MadisonCounty]

I had a superb podiatry appointment with a wonderful podiatrist Morgane Salvage at Chesterton medical centre. She rebuilt my self belief and trust in an hour!! She listened to my history, had all my notes and understood why I am so unhappy with my rheumatology department. She examined my feet and immediately booked an appointment with an Osteo/ foot consultant for 3 weeks time!!!!! I am so grateful to her!!!!!!

[medway-lady in reply to Luludean]

I also had dreadful insoles made in fact 3 pairs as they made my problem worse so I saw a surgeon privately because the pain level was awful and I rambled and danced so it made life so sad. He could hear a Mortons Click and said insoles made it worse because it put pressure on the nerve. The podatrist was a joke and the surgeon said he should never have made insoles which could not work. One operation later as he said I'll straighten that foot, take off the bony overgrowths and do your toes and a few days later did just that with minimal scaring and my left foot matched my right and was totally painfree. RA has only done one one of my feet (left)and the opposite hand 9right). Best thing I ever had done and he did it on the NHS too.

[MadisonCounty in reply to medway-lady]

That sounds awful for you, so pleased you are now pain free and on the NHS too!

[oldtimer]

If it's both feet it's probably that you have lost the padding underneath the metatarsal joints with the toes (phalanges). But ask a podiatrist and it may just be suitable footwear needed.

[MadisonCounty in reply to oldtimer]

Hi Oldtimer, that is exactly how it feels. I had been hoping I could just buy a shoe insert but I should probably get professional advice instead of wasting money on something that doesn't help.

[Tiverland]

as you get older , your skin gets thinner. That includes the bottom of your feet so they are more sensitive . But agree get it checked out. I buy shoes one size larger and have memory foam inserts. Fantastic help. Sketchers are great too .

[MadisonCounty in reply to Tiverland]

Thanks Timberland, old age doesn't come alone does it.....

[Stills]

I had made to measure from my chiropodist that cost me £100 ten years ago. When they wore out I tried all other types without success but Fitflop shoe range (online only) get good reports. Other than that 4cm max thick wedge soled Van Dal or Reiker shoes help me a lot after having no success with inserts. Good luck

[MadisonCounty in reply to Stills]

Thanks Stills, I have been looking at some nice Riekers in a local shop, I might go in tomorrow and try them.

[Gr8Frenz]

@MadisonCounty, I am sorry you have such pain. 💙 I know exactly what you’re describing. A couple months ago I posted this reply (pasted below) to a similar question. I hope it helps and I hope you find relief from your pain. 💐

@FredaN I’m so sorry you’re struggling. A year ago I thought I would never be able to walk again my feet hurt so bad. I have PSA, fibromyalgia, Raynaud’s, and CPPD. My advice to you is to get custom orthotics immediately and put them into a pair of Hokas (trainers/sneakers) My fav Hokas are the Transport style. You can tighten the center of them for narrow feet, but you need a wider toebox right now. And get into physical therapy immediately for your feet. I walk every day now with minimal pain but i roll out the bottom of my feet and do “toe yoga” exercises. Massage and Graston also help. Also, not that it matters, but Hokas are hot with celebrities and considered stylish with everything from athletic wear to skirts. Best of luck!🤗

…oh, and I never walk barefoot around the house anymore. I use Aetrex or Superfeet inserted in slippers.

…and this summer (2023) I am experimenting with NIR and red light therapy wraps and they seem to decrease the pain too. I bought mine from NovaaLab and wrap my feet, knees, whatever hurts in the morning and again at night. 💙

…just thought to add some thing… I am in the USA. And I know most of the other folks on this thread are in the UK. If you are unable to get soft-ish custom orthotics where you are, the brand Superfeet and the brand Aetrex do a good job. You should be able to buy them online. I buy top-of-the-line Superfeet insoles to put in shoes I will be wearing for limited amounts of time, like a half hour or an hour if I’m going out to dinner or to an appointment. Not something I would walk in for any length of time. But they make special orthotics for every type of shoe (boots, heels, etc). I also replace inserts for every pair of shoes that I buy. For instance, I like to wear my UGGs in the house in the winter to keep my feet warm so I replaced the insert that comes with them with a woolen pair from Aetrex. I like to wear a classic pair of white Stan smiths with jeans on occasion, so I replaced the insert with the copper version from Superfeet. Again, I only wear these for short periods of time. I consistently wear my Hokas with the custom inserts for most everything. Even around the house, I will wear them to give my feet a break.

Best of luck!💚

[MadisonCounty in reply to Gr8Frenz]

Thank you so much for reposting your previous reply 😊I hadn't seen it before. I don't know all the brands you mention (I am in the UK) but I will definitely check them out. The Hokas especially sound great! I had seen some toe yoga and foot exercises online, I've just recently started to try them. Thank you for all the info, and I'm glad you have found things that help with your foot pain. It can be so restricting when every step hurts.

[MadisonCounty in reply to Gr8Frenz]

Hi again, I've just been doing some googling and everything you mention is available in the UK. I'm not sure how I'd missed the Hokas!! 🤣

[Gr8Frenz in reply to MadisonCounty]

Yay! I’m glad you’ve found the Hokas. The Transports are my recent fav to wear. I also purchase small nubby balls to roll out my feet from Amazon. And my current fav flip flops to wear around the house are the Vionic Rejuvenate Slip on Sandal in white/vapor. My feet are more narrow and they allow you to tighten the top with Velcro. They look cute with a lot of casual clothes as well. I have also been using NIR red light therapy wraps on my feet twice a day. I bought mine from Novaa Lab, the older model Deep Healing pad, and they have a sale on now. I used a code PERMANENT for an additional 11% off. They’re helping. If you need more specific info, you can probably private message me. I don’t check this every day, but I will help if I can. I think this is a one-day-at-a-time, lessening pain and remaining hopeful process. Wishing you all the best. 💚

[Cal48]

Try a rolling sole type of trainer .Gabor have them . The sole is shaped to take weight on the heel and the mid tarsal area shape relieves pressure on the forefoot and metatarsal joints. I have rheumatoid and have these .They look like trainers

[medway-lady in reply to Cal48]

I have rolling gate trainers and sandals and its a strange sensation at first!

[MadisonCounty in reply to Cal48]

Thanks Cal. I had some Gabor sandals before I developed RA and loved them. I will look at the type of trainers you suggest.

[AW600]

Crocs crocs crocs! Honestly for me these are the only things I can wear for a long period of time without any pain. The flip flops are great too

[MadisonCounty in reply to AW600]

Thanks AW, I've never had any crocs, buts it's definitely worth a try.

[TaffyBando50]

Hi madison,I read your title 0as pain in balls.

Made me giggle 😃

I too have very painfull feet, nodules lumps and bumps.

I struggled with orthotics from the hospital.

I tried many different insoles and inserts.

The thing that work for me is over sized boots and mountain climbing insoles.

I cut out bits where the pressure points are mainly deformation of my toes.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Naughty Neville

[MadisonCounty in reply to TaffyBando50]

Thanks Neville, perhaps I could have given my post a better title!! But glad to have given you a laugh

[Tourk]

I had a similar problem with my feet. For years so painful to walk on massaging them helped but didn't get rid of all the pain.I bought one of these massage machines that looks like a hair dryer. A piston moves in and out at quit a high speed. I've tried vibration and it doesn't work but this thing works a treat.

I found the faster setting 3 out of 4 works best for me. Relieves tension in my feet with that pain.

As always check it is suitable for you, that its not going to effect an other conditions you might have. If in dought talk to your doctor

[MadisonCounty in reply to Tourk]

Hi Tourk, I have tried vibration too. It does help a bit but I could do with something better for when I've walked more than a minimal amount. I haven't seen one that looks like a hair dryer - I will investigate!

[Tourk in reply to MadisonCounty]

I've been in pain and had problems with my feet for over 40 years, it's given me the chance to try all sorts of different things. Somethings work, somethings make it worse.

These are called "rather ominously", massage guns deep therapy.

It is a very different therapy to vibration.

Not an easy thing to explain, it pumps in and out rather than vibrates. I've found the faster settings to be more comfortable.

It kind of floats across the skin, the first time I used it on my legs there was so much tension in them I had to go gently now I can put some pressure on it without any discomfort. If you do get one go gently on the ball of your foot be careful when using on your ankle, it works on tissue not bones lol

[MadisonCounty in reply to Tourk]

I'm so sorry you've had foot problems for so long, it must be horrible for you. Thank you for the tip about not using it on my ankle bone.

[Paisley58]

Shoeinsoles.co.uk is the company my podiatrist told me to buy my inserts from for my plantar fascitis. They cost £11 and have help with the stabbing pains and foot placement. I hope this helps. 💪🏾

[MadisonCounty in reply to Paisley58]

I've just looked at the website, it has a lot of options and reasonably priced too! Thank you!

[KittyJ in reply to MadisonCounty]

MadisonCounty please get medical advice before buying any insoles, until you know what the problem is that’s causing your pain then you can do more harm than good by buying something someone here has told you about that they use. Their condition could be caused by something completely different to yours. Best to find out what it is and ho From there 😊

[MadisonCounty in reply to KittyJ]

Thanks Kitty, that's good advice

[Happy5]

I got some of these recently, my chiropodist ordered them from a company she uses, so I didn't buy mine form thus company.

shoeinsoles.co.uk/10155.html

There's a stitch for them to fit over the big toe it was better for me to cut the stitch, that way I can use them on my left foot which is the troublesome one.

Mine problem pain is due to a bone spur in the ball of my foot. I used these recently on holiday did quite a bit of walking (for me) and it worked well.