Whether you’re standing, walking, or running, the balls of your feet bear the pressure of most of your body weight. Pain in the ball of your foot can flare up with every step and limit your ability to complete everyday tasks. If you have ball of foot pain, a board-certified podiatrist can provide industry-leading treatments to balance your step and reduce the discomfort.
In the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, board-certified podiatrist Francine Rhinehart, DPM, educates patients on the many conditions and injuries that cause ball of foot pain and treats the pain using advanced, evidence-based therapies.
While you might expect some common podiatric recommendations like custom orthotics and over-the-counter medications, medical injections can alleviate inflammation and make walking comfortable.
In this article, we’ll help you understand ball of foot pain, its origin, and the best injection therapies to treat it.
Pain in the ball of your foot is a symptom of many podiatric conditions or injuries. Many people report the recurrent feeling of a pebble stuck in their shoe.
Ball of foot pain often occurs because of footwear or behaviors that place excessive pressure on the forefoot, like wearing high heels or shoes with pointed toes. You’re also more likely to develop it if you’re overweight because your forefeet bears most of your weight when you stand or walk.
Ball of foot pain is prevalent among athletes, especially if they’ve rapidly increased their training intensity.
Dr. Rhinehart conducts a thorough examination to determine why you have pain in the ball of your foot. It can be either acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term), appearing as a symptom of:
A diagnostic evaluation for podiatric concerns like these can involve imaging tests to view the bones and tissues, including X-ray imaging to diagnose or rule out foot fractures.
Sculptra is an injection similar to dermal fillers. But instead of volumizing your skin with a dissolvable substance, Sculptra produces long-lasting results by rebuilding connective tissue matrices in the injected area.
Dr. Rhinehart uses Sculptra as a treatment for ball of foot pain. She injects it into your sole to volumize the tissue. As a result, the sole of your foot has better shock absorption and more cushioning to protect the metatarsal heads (the portions of bone within the ball of your foot) from impact.
Sculptra contains a synthetic substance called poly-L-lactic acid that stimulates collagen production. Collagen is a fibrous structural protein that strengthens and supports muscle, bone, skin, and connective tissue.
Sculptra injections can alleviate chronic ball of foot pain for at least six months, and many people experience relief for up to two years.
While revolutionary for treating ball of foot pain, Sculptra isn’t your only option for podiatric injections. Alternatively, Dr. Rhinehart might treat the pain in the ball of your foot with:
Corticosteroids are the gold standard injection for reducing musculoskeletal inflammation. A steroid injection in your foot reduces inflammation around the metatarsal heads and reduces associated stiffness, swelling, and discomfort.
Amniotic regenerative injections contain amniotic fluid — a substance containing a plethora of undifferentiated cells that promote tissue growth in the treatment area. These injections support healing in the sole of your foot by reducing damaged tissue in favor of new and healthy tissue.
If relentless ball of foot pain is slowing you down, Francine Rhinehart, DPM, can help. Call the office or book online at your earliest convenience for a professional podiatric evaluation.
