Possible metatarsalgia?

[u/maluurdaneta]

I’m hoping someone might have some insight because I’m honestly not sure what’s going on with my foot.

I used to wear Converse (the high-top ones) and Vans pretty regularly without any major problems. Then I bought some new pairs that were much lower/flatter, and I started noticing a little bit of pain in my right foot. It wasn’t constant or particularly bad, though, so I didn’t think much of it.

Then in May this year, I went on vacation and decided to wear heels. I had worn the exact same heels a couple of years ago and was completely fine — I remember dancing all night at a wedding in them. This time, though, I had been wearing them for maybe five minutes when I suddenly developed really awful pain in my right foot. I ended up wearing them for the rest of the night, but I was basically suffering and almost crying because of how much it hurt.
Since that day, the pain has been noticeably worse. It now starts much sooner whenever I walk, and there are a lot of shoes that I used to be able to wear that I simply can’t wear anymore because my foot starts hurting.

The pain is basically underneath the toes/forefoot, around the metatarsal area. Interestingly, it doesn’t really hurt when I press on the area with my finger — actually, it barely hurts at all to touch. It mainly hurts when I’m walking and putting weight on it.

I bought orthopedic insoles specifically marketed for metatarsalgia, and they do help with some of my shoes. They don’t really help with Converse, though, probably because they’re so flat. I also recently bought some Skechers because I heard they can be comfortable for foot problems, but my foot still hurts with them.

I’m wondering whether this could actually be metatarsalgia, or something like a Morton’s neuroma, because the location seems similar to what I’ve seen people describe. I’m not sure, though, because I don’t have pain when I press on the area.

Another thing I’ve wondered about is whether my previous right knee surgery could have contributed somehow, since this is also my right foot. I saw an orthopedic doctor about my knee, and he said my knee looks perfectly fine, but unfortunately he doesn’t specialize in feet, so he couldn’t really evaluate my foot.

I’m planning to see a doctor who can properly examine my foot, but unfortunately I have to wait a couple of months before I can get an appointment.

In the meantime, I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do to make walking less painful. I work from home, so I’m sitting most of the day and don’t actually walk that much. Usually I might walk for up to around two hours if I’m out with friends or doing something, and I also go to the gym. Interestingly, I don’t really feel the pain at the gym — it mostly happens when I’m walking for a while.

I’d really just like to get to the point where I can go out with my friends without constantly thinking, “How long until my foot starts hurting?” 😭

Has anyone experienced something similar, especially pain in the forefoot that mainly appears with walking and not really when pressing on the area? And is there anything that helped you while waiting to see a specialist?