Experience with pain in ball of foot?

[Dale]

Looking for anyone out there that's experienced mild pain in the ball of the foot.  I first encountered it following the Portland marathon in October in my right foot.  Figured it was one of those pains that result from running a marathon and would probably go away after a while.  It certainly faded over time, but after 2 months I can still tell there's some tenderness there
On top of that, now I seem to be getting the same mild pain/tenderness in my left foot.  Same spot, ball of the foot just back from where the middle 3 toes attach.  From what I've read it's called Metatarsalgia and results from cramped toe-box, high heels (not a problem), and repeated pounding. 

Has anyone had any experience with this and what did you do to overcome it (or prevent it from being a bigger issue)?  (short of stopping running, of course)

[Paul Petersen]

I've had something like this in both feet. I switched from the Brooks Adrenaline, which didn't have much forefoot cushioning, to the Asics 1120 and Nike Triax, which were substantially better. If I wear flats for a marathon, it may come back a little, but fortunately it's always been manageable and hasn't impacted my running. I'd try switching shoes.

[Dale]

Wow.  Okay, that's spooky.  How in the world did you know I wear Brooks Adrenalines???  I have to say I'm a bit freaked out by that...

Well, I've thought about giving the Asics a try before; maybe this is the shove I need.  Does sizing between the Brooks and Asics match up?  I know I had to go up 1 full size from street shoes for my Brooks (of course, I've also got orthotics).

Thanks for the input.

[Paul Petersen]

I wear size 10 for everything without exception, so I would assume the sizing matches up. The Asics are a little wider and don't fit my feet as well (are a little loose), but the Nike's fit perfectly, more similar to the Brooks, except with more cushioning.

Funny about the Adrenalines. I was just speaking to Steve Hooper (owner of the St. George Running Center) the other day, and we both agreed that the Adrenalines didn't have as much forefoot cushioning as we expected. I think you'll have better luck with something else.

[Dale]

It strange....I've been using mostly Adrenalines for about a year and a half now and this is the first time I've had this problem.  I'd almost attributed it to a pair of Brooks Trance I've got in my rotation now, which I'll never get again (too cramped and definitely not enough cushion), which is what I get for talking myself into thinking they'd be fine after a few miles in them.  I'm just too cheap to get rid of shoes before I've gotten at least 300+ miles on them.  If it wasn't for the fact that I was wearing the Adrenalines when it started, I'd be convinced it wasn't them.  Oh well.
I'll look into the 1120s and Triax then.  Thanks.

[Jon Allen]

I just bought a pair of adrenalines- would you recommend taking them back while I still can, before I have worn them?

[Dale]

Hard question for me to answer.  I've really like my Adrenalines up to this point.  Then again, I haven't gone outside of the Brooks line for running shoes yet.  Guess if there's any concern over the amount of cushioning you need in a shoe, you should probably take them back and play it safe.  If not, they're a fine shoe in my opinion.  Aside from the fact that they seem to run 1/2 to a full size small for me, I thought they were great shoes.

[Paul Petersen]

Jon, the Adrenalines are a great shoes, and most people love them. I actually just bought a pair as well this week. You know, to complement my Nikes. When I had my ball-of-foot pain, I was rotating 3 pairs of Adrenalines, and a pair of Burns. I think my feet started suffering from homogeneity of footwear. Now I rotate all sorts of different brands, models, and mileages, and things seem to be better.

[Scott Zincone]

I have also had a pain in the ball of my left foot for about a month now.  And I bought my first pair of Adrenaline's two months ago.  Seems to be a pattern here......hhmmmm.  Too bad running shoes cost so much or I would just put them away.  Maybe I can get a new pair after the holidays then rotate them.

[Ruth Hilton]

Wow. That sounds EXACTLY like how my foot has been. Especially when you mentioned how high heels affect it - I alway notice that my foot hurts worse during and after wearing them - maybe I should stop.
So, I know I need new shoes, but besides switching shoes, does anybody know other ways to help this problem?

[Dale]

Well, from what I've read so far, the remedy depends on the cause.  Most causes appear to be shoe choice related (not enough toe box room, bad fit, etc.).  Treatment appears to be getting better fitting shoes (hello!), followed by orthotics and/or gel metetarsal cushions designed to relieve pressure on the area.
 
The more I think about my case, the more I think the Adrenalines might not be the root cause.  I've got 2 pair of custom prescribed orthotics that go in 2 of the 3 pair shoes I have in rotation at any one time.  Both of those are Adrenalines now.  For my third pair, I'd been using a pair of Superfeet insoles (green), because I'm just lazy and got tired of switching out my prescription orthotics.

Now, the superfeet insoles are not cushioned (while my orthotics are).  Additionally, I've got them in a pair of Brooks Trance because that particular shoe is tighter on my foot and didn't fit my orthotics well.  Thinking back, my problems with this really started when I got the Trance shoes.  I had different problems with the orthoes installed (too cramped), and when I went with the superfeet insoles instead is roughly the same time I started with the ball of the foot pain. 

Today, I tried putting some spenco cushioned insoles under the Superfeet insoles to see if that would help.  It almost seemed to make things worse, which makes twisted sense.  The added insoles make the shoes tight in the toebox again, putting pressure on the sole area, exacerbating the problem.  I think to test my theory, I'll go with just the Adrenalines this next week and see if the issue fades.  If so, somehow I have to make my stingy self ditch the Trances before their time.  Now THAT will be a real task...