Plantar plate tears are a relatively common problem that causes pain in the ball of the foot. The plantar plate is a strong ligament that forms the bottom of the joint capsule around the lessor metatarsophalangeal joints. The pain is typically just under the joint and just distal to the joint on the bottom of the foot. The pain is worse on palpation. It most commonly affects the 2nd metatarsophalangeal joint. One odd sensation that those with it have are a sensation of the sock being bunched up under the ball of the foot, but when they check its not. Am ultrsund isoften used to help diagnose the problem and rule out other causes.

The best way to fix this problem is with taping. The aim of the strapping is to hold the toe in a plantarflexed position so the stress on the ligament or plantar plate is reduced. This will generally fix most cases of plantar plate tears and in the few that it doesn’t. then a surgical repair is indicated.