thinning fat pads???????????

Albie

I have the same issue although on just my left foot following a third metatarsal injury. I recently saw a foot and ankle specialist and for the fat pad atrophy he highly recommended "metartarsal cookies" from a company named Hapad. According to him hey are much better and cheaper than any of the "aids" you will find in the retail stores. I ordered 2 pair ($6.00/pr) and they shipped in a couple days. They give good instructions on placement and if placed properly they definitely work. They are pretty permanent so I ordered a couple to start. Best of luck, hope this helps.

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Dark_Light

Debbie, I am really sorry to hear this. IS your big toe slightly raised? I read that is it is, it usually cause pain on the ball of the foot, until this goes does the pain should lessen. I hope you find something to remedy this and that it isn't permanent.

bobbyf

Albie is right-metatarsal pads are the only solution to thinning fat pads. I
have it below two metatarsals on my left foot and I know it is painful.
I can't walk without the right padding in my shoe which helps but doesn't
allow my to be as active as I was before. Do NOT get steroids injected-they
can cause or worsen the problem. Long -acting steroids reduce inflammation but can permanently atrophy tissue and fat. It happened to me.

debbie g

hi dl, my toe will never go down as it is fused so it cant move.

debbie g

hi bobbi, what is albies and how do i find that? please let me know thanks, i would appreciate it so much. debbie

debbie g

i have never heard of this please explain more. thanks so much, debbie

john125

Hi Deb...sorry to hear about your problem...it's something I have not thought about but will keep an eye on when I start walking again.

debbie g

hi john, i hope it doesnt happen to you. how are you doing with this 2nd surgery?

john125

Hi Deb...It's going well...had my stitches out last Thursday, my toe looks like it has a tram line on it...here in the U.K we have a product called party feet, it's a gel filled pad that fits under the ball of the foot and it's for woman who wear high heels all the time, its supposed to take the pain away from the ball of the foot, I'm sure they must have a similar product in the States you could try.

debbie g

thanks john, they do sell them here and i am going to try the ball of foot gels tonite. i will let you know. my foot is so ugly looking, but most important we should be pain free and your fusion better work.

john125

I have to say Deb this time the fusion feels very good and at the moment there is not a lot of pain in fact it feels almost normal...good luck with the gel pads!!!!!!

Dark_Light

Hi debbie,

I was thinking, have you done any toe exercises? I have a fusion and my toe is stiff and it points downward (lower than the rest of the toes). My Surgeon said I will have to do exercises but didn't say when I could start. When I asked my nurse if it's normal for my toe to point downward, she said it was, so I can only imagines that it will return to it's normal position, because it would be very difficult and painful to walk on it.

Those foot gels mentioned by John, are very good, they even make the full insoles. I really do hope you can find a permanent solution without having to add anything in your shoes. I guess it's still early and you are still healing, have you spoken to your surgeon?

Good luck

debbie g

hi dl, my toe cant bend at all so it will never go back to a normal position. i did buy the ball of foot pads, but they didnt help. now i will buy the insoles.

sealover

I have fat pad atrophy in the ball of my left foot due to two cortisone injections. The atrophy started about a month following the 2nd injection. I was never warned that this could happen. Anyway, it is very painful to have a lack of fat padding below your metatarsal bones, as a lack of natural fat padding causes the metatarsal bones to receive more pressure.

It helps to have good padding in shoes in the ball of foot area, but in my case, I still have pain no matter what.

I would advise you to use padding that mimicks the natural padding in your foot, such as padding that is comprised of polymer gel (polymer gel is not in liquid form, but it is a solid gel that is very elastic). Check out the ball of foot pads made by the company Silipos (do a search online).

Hope you find a product that relieves your pain. I understand what it's like to walk on a foot has lost fat padding.