Metatarsalgia

　　The main causes of metatarsalgia are as follows:

　　(1) Overweight: Since most of your body weight is transferred to the front of your foot when you exercise or walk. Therefore, if you are overweight, it means that your metatarsals will bear greater pressure. Hence, weight loss can alleviate, or even eliminate, the symptoms of metatarsalgia.

　　(2) Shoes that do not fit properly: Wearing high heels transfers more weight to the front of the foot, which is a common cause of metatarsalgia in women. If the toe box of the shoe is too narrow or the sports shoe lacks bottom support, it is also easy to cause metatarsalgia.

　　(3) Stress fractures: If there are minor bone cracks in the metatarsal or toe bones that cause pain, it will change the distribution of body weight on the foot, making it more prone to metatarsalgia.

　　(4) High-intensity training or exercise: If you enjoy running or participate in sports such as running, jumping (such as football, tennis, baseball, American football, basketball, etc.), metatarsalgia is more likely to occur. Activities such as swimming or cycling, which do not exert much force on the feet, generally will not cause metatarsalgia.

　　Due to the characteristics of its location, treatment is relatively easy, and complications are generally rare. However, if treatment is not timely or proper care is not taken, healing deformities may occur. At the same time, patients with metatarsal and phalangeal fractures should also pay attention to timely functional exercises to prevent functional impairment.

　　Possible symptoms of metatarsalgia include: pain in the front of the foot (which may manifest as sharp, aching, or burning pain), sometimes only pain around the second, third, and fourth toes, or even just around the big toe, pain exacerbated when standing, walking, or running (especially on hard surfaces), improvement with rest, sharp or radiating pain in the toes at times, or a tingling sensation, pain intensified when bending the foot, and a feeling as if there is a small stone in the shoe while walking.

　　These symptoms may sometimes appear suddenly (especially when you recently increase the intensity of running, jumping, or other high-impact exercises), but generally, they are slowly progressive. If left untreated, metatarsalgia can lead to: pain in other parts of the foot, or changes in walking posture or limping due to foot pain, causing pain in other parts of the body such as the lower back and buttocks.

　　When engaging in high-intensity exercise, your metatarsals will bear impact,To prevent metatarsalgia and protect your feet, you should:

　　(1)Choose the right shoes: Wearing high heels or too-tight shoes can cause a series of foot problems, including metatarsalgia. Moreover, if shoes do not provide enough support and cushioning, they are also likely to cause metatarsalgia. Therefore, you should wear shoes with wide toe boxes (front part) and shock-absorbing soles, which can evenly distribute the impact force on the soles of the feet.

　　(2)Consider using shock-absorbing insoles or arch supports: These products can effectively prevent and alleviate metatarsalgia.

　　(3)Maintain a healthy weight: It is best to keep your weight within a healthy range to reduce the load on the feet.

　　(4)If you have just been injured, do not immediately resume high-intensity activities; if you endure pain to train before full recovery, it may lead to more serious diseases, thus requiring a longer recovery time.

　　When diagnosing metatarsalgia, in addition to relying on clinical manifestations, auxiliary examinations are also needed. X-ray examination shows slight defects in the metatarsal, with clear edges. The interosseous space becomes smaller, and the periosteum becomes slightly thickened.

　　1. What foods are good for patients with metatarsalgia?

　　(1)High-energy, high-protein diet: It helps recover vitality. However, it is advisable to consume this diet after 2 weeks of a fracture. During the initial stage of a fracture, it is better to have light and easy-to-digest food.

　　(2)Vitamin D: If a patient is confined to indoor rest and cannot get enough sunlight, they are likely to be deficient in vitamin D. Therefore, patients with fractures should eat more foods rich in vitamin D (such as fish, liver, egg yolks, etc.) and try to get more sunlight exposure.

　　(3)Vitamin C: Fruits rich in vitamin C include hawthorn, fresh jujube, kiwi, strawberry, longan, lychee, tangerine, etc., and vegetables include milk vetch (herb), chili, bell pepper, rapeseed sprouts, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts (soup vegetables), bitter melon, watercress, green broccoli, and green amaranth.

　　(4)Water: After a fracture, due to prolonged inactivity, constipation is likely to occur, so it is advisable to drink more water to ensure intestinal smoothness.

　　2. What foods should patients with metatarsalgia avoid?

　　(1)Bone Soup: Many people believe that bone soup can help with calcium absorption, but in fact, the calcium in bones cannot be absorbed directly by the human body. The main nutrient in bone soup is collagen, and eating more collagen is beneficial for patients with fractures, but it is not advisable to eat too much in the first 1-2 weeks after a fracture because it is too greasy and may cause blood stasis, affecting recovery.

　　(2) Calcium supplementation: Although calcium is an important component of bones, calcium supplementation is not beneficial for treating fractures and may even cause increased blood calcium levels. Fracture patients who do not have a calcium deficiency can promote calcium absorption and accelerate bone healing by strengthening functional exercises, and should not supplement calcium blindly.

　　(3) Indigestible substances: Fracture patients often have a poor appetite due to long-term home rest and swelling and pain at the injury site. Eating too much nutritious and greasy food will not only make you more queasy but also cause constipation. Therefore, after a fracture, you should eat more foods that are easy to digest and defecate, and avoid eating foods that are easy to cause bloating or indigestion, such as taro, yam, and glutinous rice.

　　(4) Sugar: Excessive consumption of sugar after a fracture can lead to the loss of a large amount of calcium, which is not conducive to the recovery of fracture patients. Too much white sugar will also reduce the content of vitamin B1 in the body. A deficiency of vitamin B1 will greatly reduce the activity of nerves and muscles, affecting the recovery of function.

　　(5) Sanqi Tablets: Taking Sanqi Tablets in the early stage of a fracture can constrict local blood vessels and treat fracture bleeding. However, after one week of fracture recovery, bleeding has stopped, and the injured area needs fresh blood supply to recover quickly. Taking Sanqi Tablets at this time will cause the blood vessels to remain in a state of constriction, impeding blood flow, which is not conducive to fracture healing.

　　1. RestAvoid exerting force to prevent further injury to your feet. Before the injury heals, you may need to give up some of your favorite high-impact sports, but you can continue low-impact activities such as swimming and cycling. Additionally, you can also continue some lower limb strength and stretching exercises without exacerbating pain.

　　2. Ice CompressApply ice packs to the injured area for 20 minutes each time, several times a day. To protect the skin, you can wrap the ice in a thin towel.

　　3. Take over-the-counter painkillersIf necessary, you can also consider taking painkillers such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin to relieve pain and inflammation.