I have had bad ball of foot pain for years? What can I do to make it go away without surgery?

HI i have same problem, only two things which help is 1/ keep hard skin  away from soaking and removing and 2/ buy shoes next size up and buy some really good memory foam insoles.Another thing which cause my pain is the ligaments are shortening and pulling up my big toes which make the ball of my feet hit the ground more pronounced then other people. If neither of these sounds like your problem go and see a chiropodist for a second opinion, doesn't mean that surgery is needed, maybe something else going on hear though.  Walking differently to avoid the pain is understandable but could cause other problems in the long run.  You may find a good pair pf insoles is all the need to cushion the area. 

Hi, Hello265 - ball of foot pain is my middle name!  You need to go see a good podiatrist to find out what the problem is.  I had it one time because I had a slight tear to my plantar plate.  It was cured by wearing a walking boot for several months.  The next time was because, as my podiatrist said, my age had finally caught up to my bad anatomy.  Bad anatomy being a second metatarsal that is too long in proportion to the others.  This put undue stress on it over the years until the surrounding ligaments had torn and it had shifted in placement.  This time did require surgery.  But - I have the same bad anatomy on the other foot, and I wear orthotics in tennis shoes when I go walking or jogging, and I wear gel cushions in other shoes.  You won't know what is causing your pain until you go see a competent podiatrist.  Find out the cause, and then you can discuss treatment options.  Good luck!  Let us know what your doctor says.

Hi! This may not be the answer you're looking for, but after much time spent trying to get a plantar plate tear to heal on it's own in a walking boot, I had to have surgery. Prior to this I bought every over the counter insole and metatarsal pad I could. I bought new pairs of shoes. Nothing helped. I think you should see a podiatrist or orthopedic surgeon for starters. There are a lot of possibilities. My tear felt like I was walking on the bones of my foot. Good luck!