There are many different causes to get problems in the ball of the feet. A less common reason could be a condition referred to as Freiberg’s disease or infarction. It is a condition where the head of a metatarsal bone which is near the bottom of the toes within the front foot results in being weakened and has minuscule bone injuries. This most commonly occurs in the 2nd and 3rd metatarsal heads, although they all might be affected. It is considered to be caused by recurring overload to the metatarsals bone that create a localised insufficient blood circulation to the area. These metatarsal bones then become weakened and has micro fractures. Freiberg’s disease mainly occurs in younger sports athletes above approximately the age of 12, and much more typically impacts younger girls a lot more than younger boys. The actual micro trauma appears to result from overloads especially in sports activities which involve lots of sprinting, leaping or weight bearing over the ball of the foot. Wearing non supportive or non-cushioning footwear could bring about increased loads upon the metatarsal bones.
The typical signs and symptoms include things like increasing discomfort around the affected metatarsal head. There is typically a swelling and slight bruising about the affected region. The pain could get worse with an increase in weightbearing actions. Commonly there will be a decreased range of motion with the affected toe joint along with pain and discomfort existing on movements in the damaged toe. Limping to get weight off the impacted joint is furthermore common. The diagnosis of Freiberg’s disease is done by a medical practitioner and it is depending on quite a few characteristics such as a complete clinical evaluation that can incorporate a biomechanical examination and a walking analysis. You will have an assessment of the full pain background and medical history assessment to rule out any other causes for the features. The joint range of flexibility will be examined, along with a thorough palpation of the region will be done. The conclusive analysis is normally done by x-ray which usually shows a flattening with the metatarsal head, resembling a smashed egg shell within the most extreme situations.
The treating of Freiberg’s disease starts with rest along with immobilisation with the area for as much as 6 weeks. This is required in the early part of therapy for it to allow for the micro fracture area to get better. The immobilisation can often be done with a moon boot or perhaps cam brace suggested by a health practitioner. Foot supports might be used to minimize the painful signs and symptoms of Freiberg’s disease. The intention of the foot supports is to try to achieve this by off loading the area as well as with some posture change of the foot. They ought to give support for the uncomfortable bone and so are generally recommended after that first duration of immobilization. A steel or even carbon fibre insole also can often be helpful to make the footwear more rigid. Because of this there’s less flexion or bending with the shoe with the front foot and also this reduces stress on the metatarsal head. Non steroidal anti-inflammatory prescription drugs like ibuprofen may be used for pain relief and to decrease inflammation. If this fails to improve then a surgical restoration with the micro-fracture site are usually necessary to solve the damaged tissues.