Quote Originally Posted by KnottedYet View Post
Take off your right shoe and sock. Look at the sole of your right foot. Look at the ball of your right foot. Is there a nice callus (or thick skin) under the ball of your big toe? There should be.

Is there a callus or thick skin under the ball of your pinky toe? There should be.

Is there a callus or thick skin under the ball of any other toe? NOT such a good thing. From what you describe I expect there is one under the ball of the second (index) toe or the one next to it. Or maybe between the ball of the big toe and the index toe.

If there is a callus or thick skin, you probably have a dropped met head which is causing compression on one of the nerves that runs through the ball of the foot.

It's not a big deal, it's pretty easy to correct with exercises, and it often goes along with a postural pronation issue.

Let me know if you need the exercises.

(I'd get them rolling before starting the barefoot running, so the running can help you get the metatarsal arch back up to strength)
Ok, so I just checked the bottom of my right foot. I do have some thick skin under the big toe and pinky, just like you said I would. But I only found a very tiny spot of thick skin (I'm talking like the size of a rice grain) under the 2nd toe...and nothing under the rest. I do religiously moisturize my feet, though...sometimes 2-3x per day...so perhaps that is why I'm not finding a lot of calloused skin. Even under the big & pinky toes, what thick skin there is...it isn't very much at all. I really had to feel around to find it.

So...based on this, does this still mean that I might have a dropped met head? Or could this possibly be something entirely different...like a neuroma, perhaps? Although I don't feel a lump or anything unusual underneath or between my 3rd & 4th toes...which are the 2 affected toes. My former podiatrist (he moved to another state) also indicated that he did not feel anything unusual and didn't think it was a neuroma...yet he still suggested using a metatarsal pad in my shoes (which I've been doing). So I'm very confused and frustrated....

Linda