A plantar plate tear is a fairly prevalent problem that produces pain plantar to the ball of the foot. It is considered the final stage of a strain on the ligament beneath the joint that moves on to a tear if there is no treatment used. The cause of this condition is simply overuse. In the event that ligament underneath the joint get used too much with high exercise amounts, it will to begin with come to be painful and then progress to a tear. The signs and symptoms are typically under and in front of the metatarsal head underneath the ball of the foot. The symptoms are made worse with increased amounts of activity.
The right way to start treating a plantar plate tear is to apply strapping to plantarflex the toe in a plantarflexed position hence the stress is removed from the ligament and it is given an opportunity to recover. It could be a bit bothersome to keep strapping the foot everyday that may take several months to fully get better. For this reason, there are a variety of different types of braces which you can use. They might be not really as beneficial as the strapping, however they will be more than effective if strapping is needed during the early stages. This will ought to be continued for a few months to obtain a good result. Insoles in the shoes with metatarsal domes may also be used to help secure the toe down. If standing is uncomfortable, then pads on the orthotics may be used to maintain weight of the painful spot and at least that'll make it tolerable while healing is taking place. Quite often this can help. In some cases some anti-inflammatory medicines and also the use of ice may be needed if it gets too painful may be required. If this approach doesn't work, then surgical interventions end up being considered to repair the tear, but a majority of cases of a plantar plate tear do heal on their own.