Foot pain on ball of foot

A few weeks ago I started to have foot pain in my right foot. The pain is localized in the ball of the foot and seems to be directly connected to a small, hard, lump under the skin of my foot. To me it almost feels as if there is a very small pebble just under my skin. I bought some good shoe inserts and it does help but at the end of a long day, or when wearing other shoes, it can be quite painful. It is a recent problem, I've never had this before.

Hi,
Most times a garden variety callus will cause some pressure but not that "stone in the shoe" sensation. That type of pain may be due to a skin cyst that might be present in the callus (if you have a callus) or you may have a condition known as a porokeratosis, which is nothing more than a plugged sweat gland (feet have over 250,000 sweat glands; thats why they perspire).
Another possibility would be a plantar wart which is a virus that forms in the skin.
These conditions are more annoying than anything else, but if you are not getting the kind of relief you would like from the shoe inserts, then you should see a podiatrist. These are all readily treatable conditions.
Marc Mitnick DPM