What is a plantar plate injury in the foot?
A plantar plate tear is a uncomfortable problem occurring within the ball of the foot associated with the metatarsophalangeal joints and is a common cause of metatarsalgia. This is a sprain or tiny tear of a strong ligament which holds up the underside of these joints. The pain usually is right above the joint or just beyond the end of it. You may also have a slight lifting in the toes. There are numerous clinical checks which will get carried out to appropriately determine the diagnosis. The therapy normally requires the use of taping to restrict motion of the joint or perhaps a metatarsal pad inside the shoe to transfer the weight away from the sore area. Some people ask what shoes they should use when they have this problem.
There's really no best shoe that can be used for a plantar plate tear. There are however shoes that may be used that could be helpful, but they have to be utilized together with other treatments. Footwear that is more rigid across the front foot location can often be beneficial at that restricts motion at the joints which the issue is associated with. Sometimes a very rigid carbon fibre plate is required in the shoe to get an equivalent impact for this. Other kinds of footwear that may be helpful are footwear which have a rocker under the forefoot. This design feature in the footwear also means that the joints involved don't have to extend as much. There are the Hoka One One running footwear which have turned out to be very popular to be used as an adjunct to the treatment for plantar plate tears. This is the running shoe that is very cushioned, but additionally features a rocker type outer sole included in the front foot. They've got the added advantage in which they are also to some degree stylish so can be a lot more appropriate for individuals to use. A few of the other kinds of rocker outer sole type shoes look too medical for lots of individuals to want to put them on. There are a number of other conditions of metatarsalgia that mimic a plantar plate tear, so always get the diagnosis right first.