"Metatarsalgia" : "metatarsalgia" is just a general term meaning pain beneath the metatarsal bones. It's not a disease entity, but rather a symptom of something else. Without more details, it's hard to give you a meaningful answer, but the common causes of pain under the ball of the foot include neuroma (a benign thickening of a nerve), bursitis (inflammation of a little sac of fluid), stress fracture, capsulitis (inflammation of a joint capsule, the membrane that surrounds a joint), tendonitis, sesamoiditis (inflammation of one or both of the two small, round bones invested in a tendon underneath the 1st metatarsal head, and of course, good old "arthritis" and its associated joint issues. Neuroma pain is usually described as a burning sensation, and typically is relieved by removing one's shoes. If you can associate the onset of your pain with new shoes or a change in the type of shoes you're wearing, it could still be any one of the aforementioned items that was just made more apparent with a new shoe that was a bit less flexible, perhaps, being new, and pressure and rubbing from the new shoe caused you to feel a pain that was not otherwise felt in those old, comfy shoes. I apologize for being vague with my answer, but there is an impressive list of problems that can cause "metatarsalgia, " and your best bet is to see a podiatrist and get diagnosed. Good luck! feel better.
Answered 2/12/2017
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