Ive self diagnosed it. Been on a waiting list to see a rheumatologist for 18 months, then got a letter to say I DNA a phone consultation. I never got a call on the appointment day… but I’ve been referred back to docs, so the wait has reset. Which is nice.

Anyway, I’m sure I have Metatarsalgia in the middle 2 toes. I now wear x wide shoes due to bunions. What else can I do? it’s making walking  painful but more importantly, when I get back on Zwift I’m not sure I’ll be able to pedal!

Thanks for any info guys!

Overview
Metatarsalgia (met-uh-tahr-SAL-juh) is a condition in which the ball of your foot becomes painful and inflamed. You might develop it if you participate in activities that involve running and jumping. There are other causes as well, including foot deformities and shoes that are too tight or too loose.

Although generally not serious, metatarsalgia can sideline you. Fortunately, at-home treatments, such as ice and rest, often relieve symptoms. Wearing proper footwear with shock-absorbing insoles or arch supports might prevent or minimize future problems with metatarsalgia.

My foot is pretty knackered with bent and broken bones piled up on each other so I get a fair bit of foot pain. IU found specially shaped orthotics (shoe inserts) really helped. These weren’t the standard shop bought ones but specifically made for my foot after scanning etc. It cost about £300 to make the first one! It cost about 20p to make another half dozen out of some cork tile pieces glued together and sanded to match the first one.

Thanks for that mate!

Did the company that made it just use an NHS x-ray picture?  Got a link to the company please?

I’ve definitely got that. Broken metatarsals that have never healed (18 months on from breaking them). I use shoe inserts from Footactove that help a bit. Can’t wear shoes that are too soft soled. Really struggle with shoes with any sort of heel.

I do dips on my foot every day (200 at the moment) to try to strengthen my foot. They don’t seem to work particularly to be honest.

I don’t have as much of an issue cycling compared to walking, but it does hurt after a few hours.

If you get any good remedies from your doc, I’d be interested. Mine were useless.

My feet/issues are no where near as bad, but I was referred to an NHS Podiatrist who made custom insoles similar to WCA’s ones, but free on the NHS

I too built my own copy with bits of stuff cobbled together. Later I made a silicon cast of the replacements so I could make my own out of resin.

In short: ask your GP to refer you to a Podiatrist as you may get that quicker than a rheumatologist appointment. In my case 3 weeks V nearly 6 months.

Mine was private through work but they would only pay for one ‘pair of inserts’ and then I had to pay £300 a go after that. I asked if my ‘pair’ could both be for the same foot as I only needed one side correcting but apparently not. Get them on the NHS if you can as they are free, at least the first ones.

Once I showed the podiatrist my home made inserts he admitted that the scans were pretty much a ginic. Worth it to check for major damage but that normally showed up on a standard x-ray like mine above. The inserts were better now they had soft moulding but he said it was basically adding 2mm lifts to the heel until it was okay, then adding strips down the side until that was right. So basically what I had done with my 1mm thick cork tile.

Having lots makes it so much easier. I have a seperate insole for each pair of shoes and never need to swap them. I didn’t think I had many shoes until I had to make the insoles – 2 bike pairs, 1 general use trainer, 1 smarter pair of trainers, 1 office shoes & 1 pair of toe capped boots. For the flip flops I just cut a slice into the sole and glued 3mm of cork in there without worrying about the lateral support.

Thanks for the detailed info WCA. Did you find that hard soled biking shoes were better or worse for the condition before you got the insoles? I’m hoping that biking shoes might actually be less of an issue than normal shoes?

In short: ask your GP to refer you to a Podiatrist as you may get that quicker than a rheumatologist appointment. In my case 3 weeks V nearly 6 months.

That’s a great idea, I’ll get onto my GP, fingers crossed the wait is shorter here too.

Unfortunately I thought I had netatarsalgia too. A lot of pain in ball of foot, one foot only. It’s stopped me biking and running due to pain. I wear arch supports as flat footed. For me I need a soft sole for comfort, a hard sole or floor is so painful.
Anyway, I was self diagnosed but went to a physio this week as having pain for 3 months was too long impacting daily life. Physio was not confident about the condition and thinks it’s a broken metatarsal, which has not healed in 3 months. Going for scan later in week.
You have my sympathy as very uncomfortable. But have you checked out Mortons neuroma ? Very similar to metatarsalgia but obs different. Worth getting a proper diagnosis as you can treat the correct condition. I suppose it’s part of getting older, but very frustrating. Definateiy agree, physio or podiatrist is a speedier option in first instance.

I find a very stiff sole like a bike shoe is best but fitted with a soft insole/interface layer for the foot to cushion the skin. I think this helps because I don’t have an ankle so the first working joint I have below my knee are at the base of my toes. The stiff sole reduces the strain on this joint. I am not sure of the effects on the metatarsals as they were broken in a different injury and seen by a different surgeon.