Relieve the Pressure. Return to Natural Movement.
If every step feels like you’re walking on a pebble or sharp rocks—or if there’s burning or aching in the ball of your foot—you may be dealing with metatarsalgia. It can turn daily tasks into painful hurdles, making it hard to stand, walk, or do the activities you love.
We understand how exhausting it is to feel like your feet are working against you. At Align Renew Thrive, we treat more than the pain—we help relieve excessive pressure through restoring whole body alignment, so your body weight is better distributed and movement becomes natural again.
What Is Metatarsalgia?
A somatic view of forefoot dysfunction
Metatarsalgia refers to pain and inflammation in the metatarsal heads—the area at the ball of your foot, just behind the toes. From a somatic perspective, this condition often emerges when your foot loses its natural spring and structure, forcing the metatarsals to absorb excessive pressure during walking or standing. This often happens from a posture of leaning forward too much.
Over time, this causes compensatory tension across your arches, toes, ankles, knees—even your hips and back. Metatarsalgia is often a downstream result of poor posture, misaligned gait, and years of micro-adaptations.
The good news? With somatic retraining and support, your body can unlearn those patterns and begin to walk with more ease, strength, and support.
Why Dr. Melanie Carlone Is Trusted for This Work
Precision. Compassion. Results that last.
Dr. Melanie Carlone brings decades of experience treating foot and alignment disorders like metatarsalgia. Her whole-body approach means she doesn’t just focus on the ball of the foot—she assesses how your entire posture, breath, and movement patterns are contributing to the issue.
Patients love her gentle, clear guidance and her ability to pinpoint the root of the problem quickly—often with lasting relief in just a few visits.
✔ Custom functional orthotics available for long-term support of all three arches in the foot
✔ Somatic movement tools to reduce forefoot pressure
✔ Gait training that helps your body find a new rhythm
💬 “Essentially I was walking on my toe bones instead of using my arch. Melanie helped me restore balance through therapy and orthotics—and I’m finally walking without pain.”
—Sandi, Eugene, OR
🦶 Ready to stop walking on pins and needles? Schedule your evaluation today.
What Your Care May Include:
- Movement assessment and foot function analysis
- Manual therapy to relieve fascial tension
- Breathing and gait corrections for better load distribution
- Custom orthotics to restore foot arch dynamics
- Somatic drills that reconnect brain and body