Metatarsalgia is a popular word which doesn't mean a lot. The metatarsals include the long bones behind the toes in the feet and the suffix -algia means pain, so metatarsalgia simply means pain in the metatarsals region. That is definitely really useless as a diagnosis since the pain could be as a result of, literally, 100’s of various things. To use the expression metatarsalgia is much like using the expression ‘sore knee’. It isn't a diagnosis and is simply a non-specific word for pain in the ball of the foot. This is very important as having the diagnosis right is absolutely important and the initial step in getting the treatment right. There's no treatment for metatarsalgia. There's treatment with regard to the various things that cause pain about the metatarsals.
Quite possibly the most frequent cause of pain in this region that is often called metatarsalgia is a disorder called a plantar plate tear. The plantar plate is a robust ligament beneath the joints in the ball of the feet that give firmness to the joint and guard it. If there is too much a amount of activity and the toes get pulled back or dorsiflexed too much, then that ligament might get stretched producing is what is termed plantar plate dysfunction. If that force remains then a small tear might happen in the ligament. Another reason for pain is this area can be what is called sesamoiditis which is some inflammation of the tissues around the small sesamoid bones on the bottom of the big toe. This is frequently because of an excessive amount of pressure on those sesamoid bones, causing the irritation. Just from these two causes of metatarsalgia it ought to be obvious that they are two totally different conditions that gets lumped under that useless name, metatarsalgia. Treatments of these two disorders that cause metatarsalgia are totally different, so it ought to be no surprise that that phrase really should no longer be used.