Dr. Frederick's Original Metatarsal Pads - 4 Pieces - Ball of Foot Cushions for Rapid Pain Relief - Gel Foot Pads - Shoe Inserts for Men and Women

The only comfortable, effective product of its type!

I should probably start by saying I have quite a sordid history of foot problems for someone only in her mid 30's. I've had osteotomy surgery, plantar warts, you name it. A lot of my foot problems stem from the fact that one of my legs is slightly longer than the other. Since my left leg is a bit shorter, my left foot takes most of the pressure. I also have VERY high arches, so the heel and ball of my left foot really take a beating, especially since as a research scientist and mother of a very active autistic 4 year old, I'm on my feet a LOT. Also, we have mostly hard wood and tile flooring in our house and I tend to walk around barefoot or in my socks which also wears on my feet. Over the last 6 months I have developed some major callouses on the ball of my left foot and they're starting to become painful. I lotion and pumice regularly but they are still bothering me, at least when I wear certain shoes (my chuck taylor slip on sneakers that are my favorite). I decided to try out this metatarsal pad and see if that made a difference and it definitely has!Here's what I like about these pads:- REUSABLE! I hate single use stuff. So wasteful! These are super easy to clean and use again and again.- EASY to wear! I love things that are idiot proof and these definitely are. They are labeled to indicate which is for which foot. R for right and L for left, and for you Spanish speakers they have a D for Derecha and an I for Izquierda (hooray for multilingual things!)- VERSATILE and can be used in multiple kinds of socks and shoes! My biggest concern would be that these would stay put in no show socks which I wear a lot and I can confirm that they do indeed! I have yet to find a well fitting sock that they wouldn't work in.- COMFORTABLE! Isn't that the most important thing? At first I felt like the ring was tugging on my toe a little but within a few moments I did not feel that anymore. I have been wearing this pad all day long and not only is it still comfortable by the end of the day but I have NO PAIN!!- THIN! These are thin enough that I can wear them with even my most snug shoes without causing problems.- STAYS PUT! Once this is situated in my sock and on my foot properly, it stays exactly where it should all day long! I can walk around the house in my socks with it on and it works just as well as in a shoe.- DURABLE! So far the material has been very durable and I think will hold up really well without getting rips, tears or punctures.Here's what I don't like as much:- This pad tends to make my foot more sweaty and moist than normal which I don't love, but I think that's going to be a common problem of any similar product, so it's something I expected and can live with.- I wish the material were a little less squishy. I mean, don't get me wrong, it does the job and prevents pain, but if it were a little more firm while still being soft, it would prevent my foot from doing a little squish wiggle every time I step down on it. It's a very slight wiggle, but I definitely notice it. It's not a slip, it's a wiggle. These are not slippery. It's hard to describe until you experience it for yourself, but because of this little wiggle inside the shoe, I personally would not use these for running or other sports that require running or stopping/turning on a dime. I think it would be hard on the ankle. My recommendation would be to get a full insole for those activities instead of just a pad.All in all I'm really pleased I bought these and have been getting great use out of them so far! Are they comfortable? Yes? Is it annoying having to wear something additional in my shoe? Yes, but I'd rather deal with annoying than pain and can definitely recommend them for callous pain on the ball of the foot as they have completely eliminated mine! Hope this helps a fellow sufferer! (PS please forgive the picture of my unmanicured toes. It's winter here now.)I did NOT receive this item free or at a discount

These pads are difficult to use. If they were thicker it might be easier to stay in place so you can put socks on over it without pad folding over. An info sheet would help that tells how to use, how often to wash, what to wash with, how long pads last.

Just purchased for a metatarsalgia (bone bruise/stone bruise). I have been using a memory foam shoe insert for the last week, which was working ok, but I needed more relief. I had actually cut out a small section of the shoe insert to reduce contact on the middle of the ball of my foot, which seemed to work better than the insert before modification. I noticed that all of the metatarsal inserts have ADDITIONAL padding in this area (rather than a cutout area like a bunion pad would have), so I was initially skeptical about something like this pad that would make the area thicker, causing a bulge and potential pressure point in the area.Knowing how soft silicone is, and all the reviews, I decided to give these a try. As soon as I put it on, it was unbelievable. I have been walking around for a week, modifying my gait and posture, trying to prevent contact along the mid-metatarsals. I put this on, stepped on the floor, and went from a "7" pain (1-10) to a 1 or 2. I actually raised my heel up, putting all my weight on the balls of my feet and could barely notice the painful area. Unbelievable.Some people have given negative comments about it sliding around. There is no way this would work with just bare feet (I assume that is obvious).... but I was able to use this with no socks in a flat-soled deck shoe and had no problems walking around or the thing sliding. I plan on using it with just socks while in the house to see how that works. If it doesn't seem to work quite as well like that, I'll amend my review. For right now though, this is one of the best purchases I've made as far as instant satisfaction.

I "self" diagnosed myself with metatarsalgia. I have been a novice runner for several years, just running about 2 miles every morning so that I stay somewhat fit. This last spring I started up running after taking a break for winter and my left ball of my foot became very painful after a week of running in my old shoes accompanied with some long hours of wearing uncomfortable heals. After suffering for 3 months with the pain that wouldn't go away I did some google searches and came across metatarsalgia and the symptoms fit mine perfectly.I found these Metatarsal pads here on Amazon and ordered a set. I put them on right away under my socks and wore some moccasin type roomy slippers all day around the house. The next morning my foot didn't hurt. I walked around my tile kitchen making breakfast and after about an hour of time in the kitchen my foot began hurting again. I pulled out the pads, socks, and slippers and wore them all day. Morning of day two no pain at all again.After wearing these pretty much all day for a week the pain was completely gone. They provided the perfect amount of cushy support right where I needed it. After about a week of wearing them though they stretched out somewhat and I ended up having to tape them onto my foot (like another reviewer did) with some MeFix dressing tape I had in my medicine cabinet. The MeFix came off the pads nicely each night, but held them in place all day. I did make the mistake of wearing these pads in my running shoes without taping them on my foot while on a hike. It wasn't until I was coming downhill that I remembered the pads were still on my feet. It was so annoying having them stretch way down almost to my heel with every downhill step I made.I am very pleased with the results these inexpensive pads gave me to heal my pain.