Arch pain is commonly experienced by middle-aged women whose feet have a tendency to roll in. It is also commonly associated with bunions and hammer toe. The plantar plate is a thick ligament type structure with attachments which inserts into the base of our phalanges (toe bones) in the area of the ball of the foot. The plantar plate is designed to protect the head of the metatarsal from pressure and prevent over extension of our toes preventing our toes from spreading or splaying.
Symptoms for arch pain can include persistent pain and swelling/redness under the ball of the foot and extending towards the toes. The sensation can be described as ‘walking on the bones of the foot. A tear in the arch will cause the toes to splay and claw. One of our Podiatrists can diagnose this with a positive Lachman’s test, however, due to the complex nature of anatomy of the foot, x-rays or diagnostic ultrasound are sometimes required to determine the extent of the tear.
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