This certainly can be an annoying issue to deal with, but thankfully there is something that can be done to resolve it so that you can get back to doing the things you need, want and love to do with friends and family. With numbness in the toes, the first thing you want to do is to ensure that you are not diabetic because when diabetic, the numbness in the toes may be present for another reason. If you are not diabetic, then the likely reason for the pain at the balls of your feet and numbness in the toes is that there is pressure on the nerves that travel up between your toes. These nerves get compressed when you lose the arch structure at the front of your foot (where the balls of your feet are located). As the front of the foot flattens out, the space where the nerves that travel between your toes becomes smaller, which is what compresses the nerves and causes the numbness and tingling in the toes and sometimes make you think that you have a wadded sock or a pebble under the balls of your feet. This “wadded sock” or “pebble” feeling under the balls of your feet is actually due to the nerves traveling between the toes becoming irritated and swollen.
So, how do we “fix” this issue? There are a number of things that can be done (usually in combination). The first thing to do is to see Your Physical Therapist at Cardin and Miller Physical Therapy. The reason for that is because in addition to treating all orthopedic injuries, the Physical Therapists at Cardin and Miller also specialize in the treatment of foot and ankle pain/injuries including the prescription, fabrication and fitting of custom foot orthotics. The first thing we do is to make sure that you are in the best possible shoe for your specific foot type. Sometimes this means fitting you with a “rocker sole shoe” which is designed to transfer the pressure from heel to toe past the “balls of your feet”. In addition, the Physical Therapist will manually work with the joints and soft tissues of your feet to restore proper movement of your feet and reduce pressure to the nerves that run between your toes. Next, we will instruct you in exercises to stretch and strengthen the muscles that support your feet and can take pressure off the nerves that run between your toes. Lastly, we may fabricate and fit you with a custom foot orthotic that is specially designed to remove pressure from the balls of your feet and reduce compression of the nerves in that area. All of the above mentioned are pieces of the puzzle to get you back to doing the things you need and want to do without pain or numbness slowing you down.
Are you tired of suffering with ball of the foot pain? Are you ready to get rid of it — CALL TODAY for your One on One FREE SCREEN – 717-245-0400 – one of our expert Therapists will listen to the issues you are having and tell you the next best step to take to resolve your ball of foot pain now!
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO SEE YOUR PHYSICAL THERAPIST FIRST AND GET BACK TO DOING THE THINGS YOU NEED WANT AND LOVE TO DO… VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: www.cardinmillerpt.com — there you will find information about knee, back, foot, neck, shoulder pain and more!
Steve Miller PT, C.Ped is the owner of Cardin and Miller Physical Therapy in Carlisle & Mechanicsburg.
