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The response to the question below was authored by Marc Mitnick DPM

High degree of pain in the bottom 'ball area' of both feet during ski holiday

by martin
(Lincoln,England)

During skiing holiday I ended up with excruciating pain in both feet at the 'ball area' of my feet.I have good ski boots which have been fitted with what I believe only to be well constructed foot bed.

After the holiday I then had a feeling of tightness in the same area ( I think your area 14 best identifies the area best)and this tightness lasted for about 5 months and has only just started to disappear.

A podiatrist has suggested that it is all due to poor circulation in both feet, but I would be interested in your thoughts.

Martin

RESPONSE
Hi Martin,

Unfortunately, I know nothing about your medical history, in particular your age, smoking habits, history of diabetes, etc. so whether or not it is a circulatory problem is hard for me to tell.
Yes, skiing occurs in cold weather and sometimes people exposed to cold for a period of time will have foot issues, but in most cases it begins in the toes, not the ball of the foot. The toes when exposed to extremes of cold will have the circulation reduced due to a vasospasm or closing of the arteries into the toes due to exposure to the cold weather.
Now, if somehow the pain in the ball of your foot was caused by excessive cold, once exposed to warmth, the symptoms would subside unless there was severe damage done to the ball of the foot. If that were the case there would have been severe discoloration to the ball of the foot (and you do not mention such a case).
So, just by "guessing" I would say it is not due to circulation. What makes more sense to me is some kind of biomechanical issue with your footbeds in your ski boots. The reason I think this way is because it is occurring on both feet in the same area.
You do not mention if this is the first time you used these ski boots, but if they are, you may need an adjustment. If you have been skiing with them for some time, the foot beds may have worn out.
Lastly, if you are at all concerned about your circulation, I would suggest you see a vascular specialist and have your circulation tested.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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High degree of pain in the bottom 'ball area' of both feet during ski holiday

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