What Is Metatarsalgia?

Metatarsalgia is pain in the ball of your foot. It's often caused by wearing shoes with thin soles and high heels. This puts extra pressure on the bones in the ball of the foot. Standing or walking on a hard surface for long periods also puts added pressure on the bones. This causes pain. The pain can occur under any of the five metatarsal bones. It's most common in the second. Bent or twisted toes and bunions can make the problem worse. So can being overweight. A tight Achilles tendon can make the problem worse. Sometimes high arches or arthritis can also cause metatarsalgia.