When to get medical advice

You can usually treat metatarsalgia at home without seeing your GP. However, you should get medical advice if: the pain doesn't improve despite trying self-help measures the pain significantly interferes with your normal activities you develop sudden and very severe foot pain or a change in the shape of your foot this could be a sign of a more serious problem that requires immediate treatment Your GP can arrange a number of tests to check for any underlying problems, such as X-rays , scans or blood tests . They can also refer you to a health professional that specialises in foot care, such as a podiatrist (also known as a chiropodist), physiotherapist , or foot and ankle surgeon. These specialists may recommendadditional treatments, such as custom-made insoles (orthotics), foot and ankle exercises, steroid injections or, in rare cases, surgery.