pain on ball of big toe....

(I'm guessing you mean the "ball" at the base of your big toe, not the underside of where your toenail is.)

If the orthotics are making your foot hurt, throw them away.

I bruised the ball of my foot (at the base of the big toe) last year. It took a couple weeks for the pain to go away. Ice, ibuprofen, rest, and gentle massage all helped.

In my experience, with the right pair of shoes, you should not have foot pain that keeps you from running. A little pain is expected, but when it starts to border on injury, there's a problem. You might need a new pair of shoes (go to a specialty running store), or the pair you have might just not be the right ones.

For example, I take a neutral shoe, but there are a dozen to choose from. There's one shoe that really seems to work for me, so I keep buying that one. For whatever reason, whenever I try something different, I always have foot problems. (By the way, it's an Asics Nimbus VI or VII, but what works for you might be different.) Maybe you just need to find "your shoe".

Mike

yes on the ball of the big toe. I run with Asics Kayano and have liked them. I have run for 15 years with out orthotics and basically injury free. A year ago I had a ankle problem (debris in joint). This was cleaned out via arthosopic, but the orthopedic told me to get Superfeet. I was just curious if this is common problem to Superfeet or if I have something else going on.

thanks

Can you provide more detail to exactly where the pain is and what the pain feels like. For example, does it feel like a bruise or does it have a burning sensation. Also, is the pain where the big toe meets the ball of your foot or in the center of the ball pad.

Have you recently changed your stride? (ie. POSE, Evolution, or Chi running)

More details and may be we can help.

It is more or less where the big toe meets the ball pad on the bottom of the foot. It feels like a bruise. I have been trying to run with my feet hitting the ground flat. (not heel striking) But have not changed my running stride completely. My first thought was I need more cushion there, that type of feeling.

There cold be a number of reasons for this kind of pain. Take some time to google the following issues: Neuroma, Capsulitis, met stress fracture, plantar plate injury.

Try ICE, rest, take NSAIDS. If it does not go away it may be prudent to see a doctor.


As a side note superfeet has a mention of Capsulitis on there website. I would be surprezed if this was the cause of your injury.

http://www.superfeet.com/content/facts-detail.html?FAQID=27