I have terrible pain in the ball of my foot that makes it difficult to stand, and causes pain to my leg when i stand. could this just be cushioning?

Could be: You need further exam. Did you step on something or throw the foot off. Foreign body? You have caused irritation somehow. So now takes time to resolve

Neuritis.: I doubt that it is cushioning or lack of it. Sounds more like a stress fracture of possible nerve compression at the level of the forefoot. To remove all doubt, simply have it checked out. The earlier you seek to resolve the problem, the lees might be involved.