Ball (foot)

The ball of the foot is the padded portion of the sole between the toes and the arch, underneath the heads of the metatarsal bones.[1]

Ball
A focus on the ball of a person's foot.
TA2346
Anatomical terminology

In comparative foot morphology, the ball is most analogous to the metacarpal (forepaw) or metatarsal (hindpaw) pad in many mammals with paws, and serves mostly the same functions.

The ball of the foot is of utmost importance when playing sports. Many sports, such as tennis, requires the player to stand on the balls of their feet for increased agility.

The ball is a common area in which people develop pain, known as metatarsalgia. People who frequently wear high heels often develop pain in the balls of their feet from the immense amount of pressure that is placed on them for long periods of time, due to the inclination of the shoes. To remedy this, there is a market for ball-of-foot or general foot cushions that are placed into shoes to relieve some of the pressure. Alternately, people can have a procedure done in which a dermal filler is injected into the balls of the feet to add cushioning.[2][3] Another option is simply to minimize the wearing of high-heeled shoes to only brief periods of time, in order to allow the overstressed tissues to have some time to recover.

See also

References

  1. "ball of foot". TheFreeDictionary.com. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  2. "- YouTube". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-25. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
  3. Wischhover, Cheryl (2013-11-20). "The Extreme Procedure Keeping Shoe Obsessed Women in Their Stilettos". ELLE. Retrieved 2021-12-20.
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