Foot doctors work with a number of different pads for the feet, upon shoe inserts, or even in the shoes to manage a wide variety of different types of foot problems. One of these simple kinds of pads can be described as metatarsal pad or dome. These are an orthotic product meant to provide support and shock absorption to the metatarsal heads inside the ball of the foot. These kinds of pads are located on the foot or within the shoe and positioned just behind and under the metatarsal heads to help decrease pain and discomfort associated with a number of foot disorders.

A frequent disorder that a metatarsal pad can be used for is what is poorly referred to as metatarsalgia. Metatarsalgia is considered as a problem characterized by pain and inflammation with the front foot. Metatarsal pads can assist relieve force on the involved area of the ball of the foot, give cushioning, and spread out bodyweight far more evenly, therefore lowering the discomfort. They can also be utilized to help with a Morton’s neuroma that is a disorder involving the growth and pinching in the nerve tissues in between the metatarsal heads, most often affecting the area between the 3rd and 4th toes. Metatarsal pads can help spread the metatarsal bones which help decrease tension on the impacted nerve, provide cushioning, and improve foot movement, thereby alleviating the signs and symptoms of the pinched nerve. Metatarsal stress fractures are little breaks within the metatarsal bones of the ball of the foot, often a result of repetitive stress or excessive use. Metatarsal domes can certainly help offload the pressure over the injured part of the stress fracture, give some shock absorption, and enhance healing by reduction of the strain over the metatarsal heads. Some people tend to have an increased arch in the middle of the foot, that can cause increased pressure or strain on the metatarsal heads. Metatarsal pads offer you some support for that arch and can help spread the body weight much more consistently across the foot, reduce pressure upon the metatarsals heads and supply further padding. Metatarsal pads may be used to handle those who have general forefoot symptoms, which includes disorders including sesamoiditis (that's an inflammation in the little sesamoid bones), bursitis, or perhaps capsulitis. The domes provide cushioning and support to minimize strain on the uncomfortable area to help to relieve the discomfort and increase comfort.

There are various ways that metatarsal pads can be used and also the materials that they can be manufactured out of. A number of health care providers will use the self adhesive podiatry felt that may be premade to the right form or they can cut the pad out of the larger sheet of self adhesive podiatry felt. They might next place the pad on the foot and strap it constantly in place. This is a very good approach to use them in the short term however it is unrealistic to stick the pad on the foot for the long term. There are premade metatarsal pads or domes made from various rubber like materials. They could then be glued on the insert, foot orthotic or placed into the shoe. The placing of the metatarsal dome is crucial and that's the reason why the use of adhesive podiatry felt upon the foot enables you to help decide the correct placement. The dome should be generally placed just at the rear of the weight bearing part of the metatarsal heads.