If you are a woman who regularly wears high heels, then you might have experienced Metatarsalgia, also known as ball-of-foot pain. Men, unfortunately, aren’t immune to metatarsal pain (especially those who are in professions that require them to be on their feet all day). Many different factors can cause ball-of-foot pain, but do you know what the main culprits are? Your shoes!

Improper fitting footwear, most often in high heels and in footwear with a narrow toe area, forces the ball of foot area to be cramped – causing hammertoes, bunions, and other painful foot problems. Aging may also cause metatarsal pain as the fat pad in our foot thins out making us more vulnerable to pain in the ball of foot area.

If you are looking for comfortable shoes to help relieve metatarsal pain or if you simply want to prevent it from happening in the first place, here are our top picks that are definitely not your grandma’s (or grandpa’s) shoes:

The Mephisto Baduard, is truly an investment in comfort. Constructed of top quality soft grain leather with smooth calfskin liners, this casual shoe has a classy design that can be worn with dressier clothes as well. The natural latex mid-soles with Soft-Air Technology cushions every step and helps relieve impact on your knees, hip and lower back.

The MBT Mens Tembea Mink Oxford Leather received great reviews from our customers. This shoe provides great cushioning and has an attractive design you can wear to work or going out.

Here’s what our customers are saying about the MBT Tembea Mink Oxford Leather:

Great shoe for my flat feet

“After standing and/or walking 6-8 hours straight, on my flat feet, these shoes are the most comfortable I’ve ever found. I am so glad my orthopedic surgeon recommended them to me for my flat foot discomfort. His next option for me was foot restructioning surgery, which I will now forgo. I will, at least, buy a dress version, if not more.”

-JD from Pittsburgh, PA

I was very pleased from start to finish

“I have a bad back and do a lot of walking. The shoe that I purchased allows me to do this without a great deal of discomfort. The shoes allow me to go further.”

-Ed the walker from Massachusetts

Wow

“These shoes are the best in the world as far as I’ve ever experienced, the heavy sole acts as an ankle weight to make your legs stronger and the high sole forces a high arch into my feet which has been a struggle for me all my life being a flatfooted athletic person, a great training shoe, forces you to move slow and concentrate on each step, again a great trainer shoe, very easy to notice increased agility, speed, balance and coordination when I’m barefooted and with them on. Awesome shoe, great idea about the mbt tech I love them, the only bummer is they’re definitely expensive but quality and comfort comes at a price but is priceless to have better health, posture and coordination”

-dave the monkey from Homer, AK

And, lastly, we mustn’t forget the ladies. If you’re not digging the Mary-Jane style shoes, MBT has come up with an edgier design with the MBT Womens Tambo Boot in black leather. If you are on your feet all day and need stylish shoes to go with your skirt or dress, these boots are a perfect combination of style and comfort. Customers who purchased the Tambo Boot have said they experienced relief in back and joint problems.

“Great stress reduction on my back and knees. Need to walk with a little shorter stride. Take some getting used to but once you do you will not want to wear anything else. Can be worn in snow and indoors. Quality, easy to break in leather. I sprayed mine with weather proofing before wearing in snow and water. Can be worn with light knee sock. Calf size is a large for me but doesn’t affect foot fit. Can be worn under slacks.”

-alphamare from Illinois

The only shoe I wear

“This is the ONLY shoe I wear, after getting the Mary Janes this summer I needed a reliable sturdy boot for the winter, and this is the BEST one I have ever purchased! The style is perfect for work and every-day use and the leather is durable and soft. If I don’t wear these shoes then my back starts hurting again, so these are my saving grace I recommend these to anyone who has lower back pain, problems with posture, and who want to get a little more out of their every-day walks. They are a great way to stay in shape in the city and are so versatile I can wear them to almost any occasion Thank you again and hope you enjoy your pair!”

-Always on Foot from San Francisco, CA

“The boots are my 4th pair of MBT’s. I have the original sneakers, the sandals, the new Mary Jane style and now, the boots. They are so comfortable that at this point I wear only MBT’s unless I have a formal event. It’s like having shock-absorbers on your feet! My chronic back pain is gone, and I can walk and walk. They are a life-saver. I’m getting my friends into them and people ask me where I got those “cool boots”. They also last forever. [...] I recommend these to anyone with feet.”

-TwirlyDancer from Queens, NY

“I’ve had surgery on both of my knees and need replacement on both. MBT’s are the only shoes I can walk in without a walking cane. I’m so pleased at how attractive these boots are! They are sooo comfortable and for the 1st time since my 1st surgery I am wearing a skirt again and feel beautiful again! I highly recommend these boots to anyone!!!”

-lealey2 from New Orleans, LA

For more customer success stores on MBT shoes, click here.

With such stylish shoes, no one will ever know that these shoes were actually made for walking!