Does anyone else get really ouchy on the balls of their feet.
Mine have on and off for awhile but in the last week massivly painful. My 27 yr old self is walking around looking like a stiff grandma. And not walking properly to compensate which is throwing everything else off.
Obviously this carries over to riding since my stirrup is right across the ouchy part.
This rang a bell with me from early in my running days. Couldn’t remember the name but Googled for you: http://www.livestrong.com/article/236276-pain-in-the-ball-of-the-foot-from-running/
A massage with an ice cube on the sore area is what my dr recommended.
If you’re wearing high heels, switch to flats with a cushion insole. No pointy-toe shoes, either.
I used to have that problem, then found people who could resolve it. They make orthotics and while I don’t need that level of support (ha, ha) they do pad up an insole. Basically lift the front part of the arch so that takes more of the weight, reducing the pressure and concussion on the ball of my foot.
Now I have those customized insoles in all my shoes. So while my days of drop-dead stylish shoes are over (not that I ever really cared) my feet don’t hurt.
My brother was a bigtime high jumper and he suffered from plantar fascitis. Look it up.
Look over in the off topic day section–there’s a good discussion of PF over there. :encouragement:
I had surgery a month ago for Morton’s neuroma. I had two nerves taken out that had gotten so enlarged it felt like marbles rolling around in my foot. Arch supports will help if they’re not big, but after that it’s cortoisone injections and then surgery to remove it.
I was diagnosed with metatarsalgia, and wow has it been a long road back. 
Kept thinking that ‘smarter’ shoes would help, but it wasn’t enough (and I’ve never been a high heel wearer.) I have very high arches, I think the end was when I started Irish dancing. Those days are over now.
Finally went to a podiatrist and got custom orthotics. These have been a huge help, it’s taking quite a bit to recover, but this was months and months of pain, I could not walk barefoot across our hardwood floor.
I would encourage you to not wait to try and get better, I wish I had gone to the podiatrist months earlier.
Thanks for the suggestions.
Not a high heel wearer and right now I can’t even go up onto the balls of my feet they are so sore.
After reading a bit sounds like it it may be metatarsalgia rather than PF from where it is sore.
A friend suggested a rocker sole shoe, and i went out an bought a pair but it seems to then make me roll my ankle oddly and cause my ankles and knees to hurt (can’t win).
I’m not sure if this will help, but I tend to get wicked pains in the ball of my foot and I think its from hyperflexing my toes while riding. It gets bad enough on some days that I can’t walk properly because flexing that big toe joint is excruciating.
Following these exercises (videos 1 and 3 of the series at least) has helped me a lot, specifically the “press, hold, move” on the tendons/muscles starting at the knees and working down to the toe tips. I’ve got it to the point that if I squeeze very hard (like with both hands) around the ball of the foot/top of the joint and wiggle my toes, I get immediate relief.
Several years ago I found that I was getting ever worsening pain in the balls of my feet, worse after riding and lasting for days. After the years went by I finally traced it to using Fillis stirrups. When I changed back to the old-fashioned Prussian sided stirrups the pain went away and it never came back.
FWIW I never wear high heels or pointy toed shoes.
Just saw this - you may want to get some x-rays done. Your sesamoids are in the ball of your foot and can cause pain if fractured or if there is a soft tissue injury associated with the sesamoids. I was diagnosed with sesamoiditis while running frequently, and I still have problems with it. It causes my big toe to be numb occasionally in addition to pain and stiffness in the ball of my foot.
I have Morton’s neuroma…was very painful for the longest time… got the injections and then it subsided… there are days when my feet start to hurt alot and I can’t walk one more step…not too keen on getting the surgery… don’t think i’m quite there yet…besides my Dr. said the nerve will eventually grow back! Yikes!
I am having the same foot pain right now. After googling it I think it is Mortons Neuroma, although I don’t wear high heels. I just bought these cushy pads that wrap around your stirrup. I LOVE them. I use them on my jump saddle when I have more pressure in the stirrup. Bonus is that my foot is more stable in the stirrup. Here is a link: http://www.adamshorsesupplies.com/Cashel-English-Stirrup-Cushion-P3854.aspx?gclid=CJyK2rXf2rYCFQFx4AodXA0Aig
I have bad back multiple surgeries that have left me with a very sensitive foot and riding with traditional english stirrups is not painful . I tried wide endrance type but they are dangerous as they stick to the bottom of my paddock boots and when i tried a quick dismount my right foot ended up on the saddle with stirrup still attacted. I have had other people tell me the same problem, very dangerous.
So any suggestions for a big man who needs a kitty soft stirrups, riding english .
Ideas?
IMHO you need xrays and to see a podiatrist or orthopedist. It may be bone or nerve or soft tissue or shoes or weight or activity or conformation or many other things…
in the meantime I suggest wearing sneakers or good shock absorbing shoes all the time you can. Take nsaids, ice the area after heavier walking, avoid standing, dismount onto a mounting block, avoid foot concussion, stay off your feet…it may be a flareup of something. I don’t see how you can diagnose this yourself or with the help of us. Best wishes. I know this is a curse. Mine was a simple bone problem called Freibergs infraction or disease. My feet were telling me I was too fat and had to stop wearing ANY heel elevation and avoid concussion & narrow toed shoes. oh well !!
I had severe foot pain from riding even though there was no underlying physical reason. Every time I dismounted I almost cried for hourse from the pain in the ball of my foot.
When I changed from the Fillis stirrups (ANY Fillis stirrup) back to the old-fashioned Prussian sided stirrups my foot pain went away, completely, and has not come back at all. I just use the regular rubber pads on my stirrups, nothing fancy or expensive, and my feet are fine. There are quite a few Prussian sided stirrups available on E-bay for cheap because they are not considered “sexy” any more. I you want new ones Stubben makes them.
Depending on where the pain is it could be any number of things. I have one Morton’s neuroma in my left foot and had one in my right foot- got that one removed 5 years ago and am still doing just fine other than occasional soreness after riding on cold weather days. If it is a Morton’s neuroma, it feels like a marble under the ball of your foot and it hurts like hell to put weight on that part of your foot, especially if there is anything compressing your toes together. This is actually one of the tests doctors do for it- they look for what is called a Mulder’s click (sp?) where they hold the ball of your foot in their hand and basically wiggle up and down and if it pops, then it is a MN. You can sort of try this yourself, beware it hurts~!!!
I went through a long horrible road getting to the surgery on my right foot. I had my left injected as it wasn’t as big. When they removed the one from my foot, it was 4 mm and I was only 22 at the time. So any age can develop these things.
Even if these symptoms don’t match, get yourself to a good podiatrist pronto and get some great insoles- Dr scholls is good, and so are superfeet which come in a variety of thicknesses.
Good luck!
Jive, sounds painful. There are a plethora of possibilities why you foot is so painful. Something as simple as a cyst to more involved diagnoses. Morton’s Neuroma is a possibility. A lower lumber (L4-5,S1) radiculopathy can cause that pain too. If NSAIDS don’t relieve your pain, you may want to see your doctor or a podiatrist so they can work you up and find the cause. Hope you feel better soon!
I went thru a worsening pain in the ball of my foot, only the right one. I did go to a podiatrist eventually. She took a look at my feet, then my shoes. i wear athletic shoes or wide, round toed casual shoes and Ariat Terrains when riding… She pointed out that my second toes are longer than my big toes. Duuuhhh, I know that. Then she pointed at my right foot and the second toe of that foot. It is even longer and looks a little deformed. The pain is in the metatarsal joint of that particular toe. The long toe was pressing against the forward, interior toe of my shoes (not all of them) which jams the toes and put pressure on the metatarsal joint.
Our feet keep growing ad get longer thru our entire adult LIFE!!! so I have expensive shoes and boots that are just a tad too short for my frigging long toe and I can’t wear them any more. I wore size 7 shoes in high school, then 7.5 in my twenties. I now wear size 9 shoes at 62!!
Check you shoe length. When riding it’s quite easy for your foot to shift more forward inside of your boots. Do you have a toe pressing against the toe of your boots or shoes?
chicamuxen
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