Did you know that you have 2 small pea-sized bones near your big toe joint that are not connected to any other bones? Don’t worry; it’s not as weird as it sounds. They are not just floating around in your feet, but rather, connected to the tendons. Yes, every time you move your big toe up and down and take a step, your tendons are sliding along the sesamoids, kind of like a pulley.

So why are they to blame for foot pain?

In the same way that your Achilles tendon in your ankle can become irritated and inflamed, the tendon in your feet can also experience tendonitis, called sesamoiditis. Either the tendons are overused and become irritated as they repeatedly pass over the sesamoids, or they have endured an injury to the tendon or bones, causing inflammation.

Ballet dancers, sprinters, golfers, and baseball players commonly experience this injury because of the position their feet are often in. A lot of weight and pressure goes onto the big toe joint, making it more vulnerable to overuse injury.

If your foot pain looks like this:

• Swelling and possibly bruising under the big toe joint,
• Big toe joint pain when moving the big toe,
• Inability to bear weight on the front of the foot, then you might be able to blame Sesamoiditis for your foot pain.

How can you get relief from Sesamoiditis?

• RICE method (not just for children!)
• NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), like ibuprofen and naproxen
• Tape the foot or use a brace to keep the toe bent downward to reduce tension on the affected tendon
• Steroid injection near the site of pain

Remember, since sesamoids are also bones, they could become fractured in an injury (or stress fractured due to overuse). If the pain is very severe and does not subside, get medical attention from our podiatrist ASAP.  Come see our board-certified podiatrist, Dr. Brandon Macy for an assessment. Make an appointment today to have your sesamoids treated with care. We are located in Clark, NJ and serve patients in all of Union County! We keep you walking!