Ball of foot pain doesn’t have to stay with you forever. You can get a lot of relief, according to the American Podiatric Medical Association. The answer is ball of foot pain pads or ball of foot cushions.
These shoe inserts don’t look like regular orthotics because they are specifically added to shoes in the region of the ball of the foot. This is the area where the heads of the metatarsal bones are. Ball of foot pain results when the heads of the metatarsal bones are compressed either from the shoes that you are wearing or from putting all of your weight on the ball of your feet, such as from dancing all night long. There are nerves in between the heads of the metatarsals that can easily get inflamed and when they are inflamed, they cry out in pain. That’s where ball of foot pain comes from – inflamed nerves in between the toes.
Adding ball of foot cushions in your shoes is the answer but which one do you need? Here’s a list of four different ball of foot pain pads and the differences between them.
1. Sof Sole Ball of Foot Cushions –
These are made of gel to give each step the feeling you are walking on a cloud. They have a non-skid surface since ball of foot pain can be increased quickly if your foot slips forward and you try to catch yourself during the process.
2. Spenco Gel Ball of Foot Cushions –
These are created as a rounded area of thermoplastic rubber gel covered by additional plastic so it forms one entire piece that is added to your shoe. These ball of foot pain cushions are covered by antibacterial fabric to cut down on the odor caused by bacteria on feet. Reviews of this one say they may be worn in boots and helped one person’s calluses go away. This person’s ball of foot pain started during dancing.
3. Powerstep Metatarsal Cushion Pads –
This brand is not made of gel at all but instead, of a special type of polyurethane called poron. The advantage is that it’s not as thick as gel ball of foot pain cushions and can fit in shoes, including dress shoes. They come with a self-adhesive strip so you can attach them to the shoes that cause the most amount of ball of foot pain.
There’s no guesswork with these either – they are created to anatomically fit the right and left foot so you’ll find a left one and a right one. People who purchase this one always buy more for the rest of their shoes.
4. Apara Gel Soft Spots –
These are made of gel but won’t be enough to cover your entire ball of foot like the others will. These are made more for special areas of pain in your foot. They have a self-adhesive backing and you simply add them to your shoe at the locations where the pain is.
Why put up with any ball of foot pain? Check out any one of these and try them out. Let us know what happens.