Metatarsalgia is a general term used to describe pain in the lower and the front of the foot (area of the metatarsal heads).
The pain is usually located under the heads of the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th metatarsal. Patients characterize it as a deep, constant pain with or without a burning sensation.
In fact, this is the condition where one of the leg metatarsals (long bones ending at the toes) has “dropped”, i.e., it is leaning against the lower surface of the foot with greater pressure.
Depending on the degree of standing, the body weight, the type of footwear the patients wear and the grounds on which they move, the symptoms will appear later or faster.
The main symptom of the condition is pain in the forefoot. It gets worse by walking and improves after rest.
Another main feature of primary metatarsalgia is the appearance of callus in the foot, under the heads of the metatarsals, which in the early stages can be painless, but it becomes extremely annoying along the way. It is often accompanied by a deformity in the bony architecture of the 2nd and/or the 4th fingers.
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