Popular Q&A: Metatarsal Pads

Flat feet, also known as pes valgus or pes planovalgus, is a health problem in which the foot lacks a normal or discernible arch when weight-bearing. Flat feet may be caused by numerous factors or other health problems, including—but not limited to—tendon injury or illness, neuromuscular conditions (e.g., cerebral palsy), conditions causing extremely flexible soft tissues, and tight Achilles tendons. Advanced age, excessive body weight, traumatic foot or ankle injuries,... Read more

Two of the main metatarsal pad functions—restoring proper forefoot fat pad positioning and spreading out the transverse foot arch—are quite independent. In the case of the former, it's really the toe spring built into conventional footwear—and the associated toe flexor/extensor muscle imbalance it creates—that's responsible for shifting the fat pad to a position further out on the foot, closer to the ends of the toes. Metatarsal pads, which should be... Read more

Metatarsal pads may be small and unobtrusive, but they are mighty when it comes to aiding the foot and addressing a variety of foot ills. The forefoot fat pad—a natural structure in all feet—is intended to sit underneath the ball of the foot and cushion and cradle the metatarsal heads at the point where they contact the ground. Wearing conventional shoes (i.e., shoes with elevated heels, tapering toe boxes, toe... Read more