There are many different causes for symptoms beneath the foot and that can sometimes be difficult for professionals to identify what it is. One of those things that isn't so prevalent will be an atrophy of the fat pad that is intended to cushion as well as safeguard the foot. This fat pad protects the bones and also other structures beneath the foot. This will especially be correct and also important in athletes that participate in sports activities that have lots of hard impacts with the ground including running. In running they actually do get the added stability of the running shoe to cushion the feet and reduce those impacts. The main signs and symptoms of this problem are to some extent unclear and non-specific, so frequently the specialist clinician has to exclude other concerns and remove them as the explanation for the symptoms to leave the atrophy with the fat pad as the source of the pain. One of the more obvious symptom is just a unexplained ache underneath the ball or heel in the foot, that's worse when standing up and even more painful when doing high impact activities. Not only is it painful underneath the foot, this reduction in shock absorption may have affects further up the system.
The explanation for this atrophy or wasting away of the fat pad isn't straightforward. It will get a bit thinner as individuals become older, therefore it is a normal part of aging. In the majority of people it's not at all a concern unless of course the atrophy tends to be substantial or if activity levels are generally high. It simply seems that as we age some atrophy at a quicker rate than others and the cause of this is not really apparent.
Should the wasting with the fat pad is made as being the cause of the symptoms the most beneficial treatment solution is to place some shock absorbing insole underneath the foot inside the shoe. The hardness with this material really needs to be identical to the density with the the fat pad would be in order to do its work adequately. If it is too soft, then it will just flatten beneath the foot and do nothing at all. Should it be too hard, this will make virtually no improvement to the symptoms. Many times the cushioned heel pads are too soft. A soft pad will probably feel good when you poke it with your fingers, but when the fingers can flatten the pad, subsequently body weight will also likely to compress this and do nothing at all. These cushioned heel pads can be very useful when you get the most appropriate one.
Another choice is by using body fat grafting. This is the surgical procedure that requires taking fat cells and tissue out of a different area of the body and placing them beneath the heel and front foot. Although this surgery will likely be valuable it's not necessarily a procedure that is carried out routinely as there is a operative risk using any operation and the use of the cushioned heel pads is normally more than helpful, and so the use of surgical grafting of body fat will still only be done in probably the most extreme instances.