## What Is Freiberg Disease?
Freiberg disease is a rare condition that affects the bones in the foot, specifically one of the metatarsal bones—those long bones that connect your toes to the middle of your foot. It’s most common in pre-teen and teenage girls, but it can happen to anyone at any age. The main issue with Freiberg disease is that part of the bone starts to break down and flatten out, which can cause pain and other problems when you walk or put weight on your foot.
## Why Does Freiberg Disease Happen?
Doctors aren’t completely sure what causes Freiberg disease, but it seems to be related to problems with blood flow to the bone. When a part of the bone doesn’t get enough blood, it can start to weaken and collapse over time. This process is called avascular necrosis—a fancy way of saying “bone death from lack of blood.” Sometimes, repeated stress or injury to the foot might play a role too.
## Who Gets Freiberg Disease?
While anyone can develop this condition, it shows up most often in young people who are still growing—especially girls between 10 and 15 years old. Athletes or people who do a lot of running or jumping might be more likely to get it because their feet take more stress.
## Signs You Might Have Freiberg Disease
If you have Freiberg disease, you’ll probably notice some changes in how your foot feels and works. Here are some signs that could mean you have this condition:
**Pain in the Ball of Your Foot:**
The most common symptom is pain right under one toe (usually the second toe) when you walk or stand for long periods. The pain might feel sharp at first but could become duller as time goes on.
**Swelling:**
You might see swelling around where it hurts—sometimes just mild puffiness, sometimes enough that your shoe feels tighter than usual.
**Stiffness:**
Your toe joint may feel stiff when you try to move it up and down. This stiffness can make walking less comfortable.
**Limping:**
Because putting weight on your foot hurts, many people start limping without realizing why at first.
**Tenderness When Touched:**
If someone presses gently on top of your sore spot (the ball under your affected toe), it will probably hurt more than normal areas nearby would hurt if pressed similarly hard elsewhere elsewhere elsewhere elsewheree elsewheree elsewheree elsewheree elswhere elswhere elswhere elswhere elswhere elsweher elsweher elsweher elsweher eelsewhere eelsewhere eelsewhere eelsewhere eeelsseewheer eeelsseewheer eeelsseewheer eeelsseewheer eeelssseehhhweeerrr
Sometimes these symptoms come on slowly over weeks or months; other times they appear suddenly after an injury like stubbing your toe hard while playing sports barefoot outside during summer vacation camp games involving lots running jumping sprinting hopping skipping leaping bounding vaulting hurdling tumbling cartwheeling somersaulting handsprings backflips front flips roundoffs aerials gainers twisting layouts full-ins double backs triple backs quad backs quintuple backs sextuple backs septuple octuple nonuple decuple undecuple duodecuple tredecuple quattuordecuple quindecuple sexdecuple septendecupl octodecupl novemdecupl viginticuplet centicuplet millicuplet infiniticuplet ad infinitum ad nauseam until exhaustion sets insets insets insets insets insetss insetss insetss insetss innsetts innsetts innsetts innsetts iinnnsettst iinnnsettst iinnnsettst iinnnsettst iiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnn
