I Have Metatarsalgia After Increasing My Running Distance

Your ball of the foot may become sore or painful after you increase your running distance because the extra time on your feet puts more repeated pressure through an already sensitive forefoot.

You may have been comfortable running your usual distance and then started noticing pain under the ball of your foot after adding more miles. The discomfort may begin as a small ache that you can ignore, then become more obvious as the run continues and your foot keeps working.

You might also notice that your foot feels fine at the beginning of a shorter run but becomes sore once you go beyond your previous distance. The extra mileage does not necessarily mean you injured your foot in one particular step; the change in activity can simply place more repeated stress on the metatarsal area than it has been handling recently.

The Pain Appears After You Pass Your Usual Distance

Your ball of the foot starts hurting once the run gets longer than your normal distance.

You may feel fine for the first few miles and then notice an ache or sharper pain developing under the forefoot. As you keep going, each additional step gives the painful area another opportunity to become more sensitive.

Your Foot Stays Sore After The Longer Run

The soreness may remain when you walk around after finishing your run.

You might notice tenderness when walking barefoot, climbing stairs, or taking your first steps after sitting down. If you run again before that soreness has settled, the same ball-of-foot pain may return earlier in the workout even if you return to your previous distance.

Why Your Foot Pain Keeps Returning

Your foot has a hard time healing when blood flow and circulation are limited.

Tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues naturally receive less blood supply than many other parts of the body. Because of this, they often take longer to heal after repeated stress or injury, leaving you more vulnerable to lingering pain and a cycle of reinjury.

When circulation through the area remains limited, injured tissues have a harder time receiving the vital oxygen and nutrients they need to repair and heal. This can leave your foot feeling stiff, tight, weak, or painful during everyday movement and activity.

What Can Help Your Foot Feel Better

Your foot starts feeling better when blood flow and circulation improve.

Chinese herbs have been used for centuries to promote healthy blood flow and circulation. Their medicinal properties help break up stagnant blood and fluids that remain trapped around injured tissues, interfering with circulation. As circulation improves, blood flows more freely through the area, allowing those tissues to receive the oxygen and nutrients they need to heal properly.

Topical herbal remedies made with these Chinese herbs can help relieve pain while improving blood flow and circulation to injured tissues. The right product depends on your symptoms and whether you're in the acute or chronic stage of recovery.

If you have pain, swelling, inflammation, or bruising, Acute Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by increasing circulation and dispersing stagnant blood and fluids around the injured area to speed recovery. During the acute stage of healing, getting circulation moving early allows injured tissues to receive the fresh blood, oxygen, and nutrients they need to repair and heal.

If your injured area is especially swollen, red, or warm to the touch after a recent injury or flare-up, Sinew Herbal Ice is also used to reduce swelling and inflammation while restoring normal circulation so you can quickly regain range of motion. While traditional ice is commonly used to reduce swelling, Sinew Herbal Ice acts as an ice alternative to reduce swelling and inflammation while also dispersing accumulated blood and fluids to speed the healing process.

If you no longer have swelling or inflammation, but still have pain, stiffness, weakness, or sensitivity in cold and damp weather, Chronic Sinew Liniment helps relieve these symptoms by strongly stimulating circulation and increasing blood supply to injured tendons and ligaments to promote their healing. This is especially important because tendons and ligaments naturally receive less blood supply, which is why chronic injuries can take longer to heal.

If you have residual pain and stiffness, or the area becomes more painful in cold weather, Sinew Injury Poultice is also used to significantly stimulate circulation to injured tendons and ligaments to further promote their healing. By strongly increasing circulation, it counteracts the reduced blood flow caused by cold weather that commonly aggravates chronic tendon and ligament injuries.

If you exercise, play sports, or do other strenuous activities, Sinew Sports Massage Oil warms and stimulates muscles for exertion and relieves muscle tightness and soreness after activity. Warming and preparing your muscles before activity can improve flexibility, enhance performance, and reduce the risk of injury.

Frequently Asked Questions

You may also find these commonly asked questions helpful.

Why did I develop metatarsalgia after increasing my running distance?

Adding mileage increases the repeated pressure on your forefoot, which can leave the ball of your foot painful when the change is more than your foot has been handling.

Why does my ball of foot pain start later in a longer run?

Your foot may tolerate your usual distance but become increasingly sore as additional miles add more repeated pressure to the painful area.

Why does my foot still hurt after increasing my running distance?

The ball of your foot may remain tender after a longer run because the extra activity has kept the area stressed beyond your previous routine.

Should I stop increasing my running distance if I have metatarsalgia?

If increasing your distance consistently brings back pain, reducing the activity that aggravates your symptoms can give the area more time to settle.

How long does metatarsalgia from increased running take to improve?

Improvement varies with the cause and how much the area continues to be stressed, but persistent, severe, or worsening pain should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.

The information provided here is intended to help you better understand your symptoms and recovery, but it is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Persistent, severe, or worsening symptoms should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.