Pain within the ball of the foot is a very common condition and can be caused by numerous conditions. Often the term, metatarsalgia can be used with this condition however that term is so useless because it is similar to stating that you have a sore hip. The discomfort which gets put under this phrase could range from a basic corn of the skin under the front foot to a stress fracture of the metatarsal bone to a pinched nerve to an arthritis type disorder. Just about all of these disorders are completely different to each other and each of them must be managed differently and also have different results. From this it should be obvious why the term metatarsalgia is not a very good word, just like stating the hip is painful.
Figuring out the various reasons behind discomfort in the ball of the foot may be a difficult task as a number of the issues probably have similar symptoms in the early phases. This is why an experienced clinician is commonly needed to get the diagnosis appropriate hence the best therapy can be directed at it and money and time is just not lost following a bad diagnosis. A number of disorders such as a plantar plate tear that is a frequent source of discomfort in the ball of the feet have a number of clinical examinations which can be done to help you determine whether that's the problem. Others such as a stress fracture of the bone is likely to require imaging to have the diagnosis appropriate. Joint disease like issues are not easy to diagnose in the early stages and it can be a case of simply waiting around to view the way the symptoms moves along. Generally figuring out those type of conditions is really a matter of ruling out the other concerns like a plantar plate tear or stress fracture by the clinical tests and x-ray. For those who have discomfort in the ball of the foot, then you should go to a capable podiatrist and have the diagnosis correct.