Dr. Frederick's Original Metatarsal Pads - 4 Pieces - Ball of Foot Cushions for Rapid Pain Relief - Gel Foot Pads - Shoe Inserts for Men and Women

I "self" diagnosed myself with metatarsalgia. I have been a novice runner for several years, just running about 2 miles every morning so that I stay somewhat fit. This last spring I started up running after taking a break for winter and my left ball of my foot became very painful after a week of running in my old shoes accompanied with some long hours of wearing uncomfortable heals. After suffering for 3 months with the pain that wouldn't go away I did some google searches and came across metatarsalgia and the symptoms fit mine perfectly.I found these Metatarsal pads here on Amazon and ordered a set. I put them on right away under my socks and wore some moccasin type roomy slippers all day around the house. The next morning my foot didn't hurt. I walked around my tile kitchen making breakfast and after about an hour of time in the kitchen my foot began hurting again. I pulled out the pads, socks, and slippers and wore them all day. Morning of day two no pain at all again.After wearing these pretty much all day for a week the pain was completely gone. They provided the perfect amount of cushy support right where I needed it. After about a week of wearing them though they stretched out somewhat and I ended up having to tape them onto my foot (like another reviewer did) with some MeFix dressing tape I had in my medicine cabinet. The MeFix came off the pads nicely each night, but held them in place all day. I did make the mistake of wearing these pads in my running shoes without taping them on my foot while on a hike. It wasn't until I was coming downhill that I remembered the pads were still on my feet. It was so annoying having them stretch way down almost to my heel with every downhill step I made.I am very pleased with the results these inexpensive pads gave me to heal my pain.

Very interesting concept; glad someone came up with it. I had injured under my big toe dancing or doing jumping jacks and landing wrong. It had been painful for months and I think it was a hairline fracture, but hadn't gone to the doctor. It would begin hurting if too much pressure was put on it and I thought I was never going to be able to do anything physical with my feet again. I'm overweight and want to get healthier by exercising, so was very frustrated when I couldn't even walk for very long without nearly crippling pain under my toe! I had stuffed some quilt batting in my shoes, but that didn't work; I was looking at cushioned socks, but those are expensive! I saw these and decided to order. They gave immediate relief from my pain caused by any pressure on that sore area, in that way they're great! I do find it hard to put my socks on while wearing these, nothing holds it in place; I feel if it had another ring for a toe, or a removeable strap from the same mat'l, or something soft, over the top of the foot it would be easier. When I first began wearing them; I put it on wrong, holding it too far down my foot while putting my sock on; the ring put a ton of pressure on my toe and I wasn't sure if it was going to be right for me. I learned to really not stretch the ring, but keep it kind of loose behind my toe and the toe won't hurt. I can walk without any pain in these; they're so supportive but soft and squishy; it may take a while to get used to the texture, but they really help! I just love them except for the wobbliness and folding over when I put on my socks! I haven't figured out how to fix that yet; if you have, please leave me a comment; thanks!

I'm in the military and the boots are killer on my feet. I always buy my boots extra wide because so my feet have room to swell and hopefully will avoid bunions, but I teach so I am on my feet sometimes for 6 hours at a time. I ordered these in hopes that I would get some relief when I'm up standing that whole day in boots that cannot be meant for actually standing/walking in for 6-8 hours (I'm told there is a metal rod running the length of the boot??! WTH?). THESE PADS DID NOT DISAPPOINT AT ALL! I would say that they lasted probably a month before it was time for a new pair, which isn't bad for the torture I put on them. The pad itself isn't what gets worn out either, it's the loop that goes around the toe that gets stretched out and allows the pad to shift under the foot. I think the design is about as good as it is going to get because of the loop around the toe, they can't really make it thicker or change the material without it becoming uncomfortable. I loop it around the second toe and it works great. I did try looping on my middle toe but the pad shifted too much. Looping around the second toe worked great, the pad stayed put and my feet felt so much better at the end of my work days vs before the pad. I highly recommend these if your dogs are barking after a long day, or if you're going to be on your feet for a long time and you aren't used to that. Truly wonderful tools to feel better! I have no complaints about these at all.

First of all, this is nice and squishy and does help with the pain in the ball of my foot. It is the perfect size and thickness for some of my shoes, especially those with a form-fitting mid-foot and throat area, place where anything thicker would make the shoe tight on your foot. That's the good part.There are two things I find fault with. First, like others, it is difficult to keep this in place when you put your foot in your shoe. It will slide around. I used someone else's suggestion of using medical tape to secure in place. That works but it is tedious having to do this every time you wear them. Second, I can't be the only one who is totally bugged by the toe loop. Either my toes are extra sensitive from the pain in the ball of my foot or mine are just made wrong. It drove me nuts!My overall solution? I snipped off the toe loop and removed the soles of my shoe. I determined where the ball of my foot would be placed and then I used medical tape to tape the pad to the sole and then reinserted it in my shoe. It stays and you don't have to do the tape thing every time. Of course, if you need these for multiple pairs of shoes, you will need to buy more of these.