Will sesamoiditis go away or is this forever?

This was super helpful!!! I was diagnosed three weeks ago and have been in a walking boot to relieve pressure and allow to heal but I have a marathon next week and wasn't sure if I could do it. I have gave it time to rest so here is hopin!

I am a 14 year old who has just been diagnosed with sesamoiditis. However, I feel like I'm running out of options. I've been dealing with foot pain for (at minimum) 2 years. I ignored it for a while, because I am a fast grower and am used to random foot pains. However, when it got worse, I sought treatment.
Starting a couple (6-7ish) months ago, I got Halflinger house shoes and orthodics for my already pretty robust tennis shoes. Those helped for a while, but the pain returned after not long. I visited a sports clinic, who gave me an x-ray and a immobilizing boot. There was no breakage or fracture in the x-ray, so I was diagnosed with tendinitis. The boot didn't help at all, so I got custom made orthotics, as well as extremely thick soles shoes that have rocker bottoms. Once again, it helped for a bit, but not permanently.
I had a cortisone shot, to no avail, and an MRI and blood test that only revealed slight swelling in the area (despite quite large amounts of pain).
I now use crutches, and have been using them for around 2 weeks. The crutches help me get around, but my foot has not been healing at all.

I am a swimmer, and even prior to sesamoiditis did very little impact or running sports. I have no idea where this could have come from. After the diagnosis, I have been limiting my walking extremely. As far as calcium, I drink several glasses of milk every day. I ice my feet, which doesn't help much, and tape them, which doesn't either.

I wear heavy soled shoes everywhere, around the house and even in the shower.

The doctors I now see (Mayo Clinic) have offered only a few new options-
new orthotics, pain relieving PT, and surgery.

The crutches are a huge hinderance and annoyance, but a necessity for me to get around my school.

Any suggestions?

To 14 year old: i am sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I guess between us all on this post, we've tried various methods to rid ourselves of this incredibly hard to heal affliction. It's annoying, it hurts and after you've seemingly exhausted all options it's still there!! Up until last month I've been at a pain level 8 or 9 most of the time wearing flat, rigid-type shoes. I am now at a pain level 2 and can wear rounded toe boots. This is a major accomplishment to me. At my worst, I couldn't walk on my right foot and hobbled along on the outside of my foot for a good 6 months. I sought out FASCIAL DISTORTION MODELING based on another poster's recommendation and I believe it helped me tremendously. I also took high dosages of turmeric for the inflammation and i bought a cryotherapy boot for swelling AND the inferno heat therapy boot and used them alternately. These are the methods that brought me from a solid 9 to 2 pain level. That, and also staying off my foot which is hard to do when you work full time and have others depending on you. It has improved so much over the past 2 months that I got fitted for a pair of walking/running shoes and am back walking and light jogging again. Finally!! I am still easy on my foot because it's not fully healed yet, but I've come so far since July 2016. Oh, I also bought therapy foot rollers and soma system deep tissue self body work balls to complete my own FDM therapy. I don't walk barefoot-- ever and I wear my new tennis shoes the minute I get home. so, finding the happy medium of resting the inflamed area while still being mobile, taking high dosages (safely) of turmeric for the inflammation, and performing super deep-tissue work on the area either by a professional or on your own may help. In lieu of going to see my primary care doc, I opted to seek out holistic care from a chiropractor who specializes in FDM. Not much info on the web, but if you dig around the internet you'll eventually find blogs and other information. I did tons of research. Good luck to you. Keep us posted on your findings and progress. --dg

I have done SO MUCH research on sesamoiditis it is insane. I want to help others like I helped myself because my doctors were particularly unhelpful.I was diagnosed with this strange condition a month ago and have been struggling ever since. After much research and trying out different things, I have compiled a list of things that worked for me.

1. Wrap your feet and big toe daily with athletic tape. This will relieve some of the pressure and allow healing during the day.
-there are a couple videos floating around on youtube for sesamoid wraps, those helped me and eventually I have created my own that work best for me. I typically do a toe thong with a donut pad and a big toe wrap to prevent flexion of the big toe.
2. Sleep on your back.
-I know this sounds weird, but if you sleep on your stomach, your feet are possibly in a weird position. When I would sleep on my stomach I would wake up with sharp pains in my foot and big toe.
3. Ice with an ice cube daily.
-There is debate whether ice helps or hurts injuries. It's true that icing an area can slow the blood flow to that area down, which theoretically slows the healing process. But sometimes my pain would get so bad that numbing the area with ice helped me. I say if it helps you, use it, but if you can stand the pain then don't.
4. Try biofreeze or icyhot.
-Any type of topical solution cannot hurt especially if it helps you with pain. These are best applied before bed or when sitting down for a while, because if you are walking around without socks on they can be rubbed off. They should also not be bandaged down or mixed with sweat.
5. Use sesamoid pads (I use a donut pad) (but I would recommend Dr. Jill's) or metatarsal toe sleeves.
-ANYTHING that relieves pressure from the area is a must.
6. Try to do the least amount of exercise as possible that would affect the area.
-stationary bike is ok if you use the heel of your foot
7. Take ibuprofen daily.
-not only did this help me with pain, but it also is an antiinflammatory, which should help with the sesamoiditis.
8. Wear flat soled shoes. (NO HEELS)
-avoid anything with a toe spring with a fervent passion. We are trying to avoid putting pressure on that area and shoes with any type of heel rise and a toe spring can reverse your progress. ALSO avoid pointed toe shoes. I have been only wearing vans, converse, and sambas for the past month or so and although my wardrobe options are limited, my feet are thanking me.
9.Take a hot bath and relax.
-get blood flow moving to the foot.

Ι suffer in both legs 3 years ago!
The solution that worked for me is one and only!
The sesamoids MUST NOT touch the ground!
Whatever you wear try to put a latex or something in your toes so as when you walk the sesamoids to be in the air!

I totally agree with the9-point list! I forgot to mention that I taped a sr scholl's ball of foot pad to my foot every day.

it never goes away.... it gets less pain full but never goes

Wear an aircast boot for 6 weeks, you can get it on amazon. Also icing no hot water. I promise it will improve.

Hi. I know this is an old post but I am interested in how your daughter has been? My daughter is a dancer 12 yo and has been diagnosed with sesamoiditis. It's so debilitating for her. What strategies helped? She has had orthotics fitted and physiology has given her exercises but her foot has so much pain:(

I'm not the poster with a daughter, but I did post here about FDM curing my sesamoiditis. I urge you to look into it. I know it's not for everyone, but it cured mine the first treatment. I had to have another treatment a few months later when I had a flare up, but it only took that one time and my foot is fine.

BLJ,
Were you diagnosed with Sesamoiditis? Was it recommended by Dr to use bike? Thanks!

Jack

Hey all, iI am an amateur, adult ballet dancer, always recovered from minor njuries but after some persisting symptoms of pain under the big toe (upon pressure) i did an mRI which showed sesamoiditis in my right foot last month (marrow signal change in the fibular sesamoid suggestive of stress reaction).

Been suffering from this for about three months now. I have been proescribed naproxen 1g/day, which alleviated the symptoms but was pretty harsh on my stomach and had to stop. Watch out as it can be a very dangerous drug! Nothing else like ice, voltarol, taping, manipulation has really worked, although my physio is very knowledgeable and has always found a treatment to pretty much everything!

Now back to the start. I am left wondering whether alternative treatment would help (ultrasound, acupuncture, electrotherapy?), and if it is better to go for those first before thinking of steroid injections. Has anyone tried out there? I am afraid of the damage cortisol injections could do, long term, to the tendon, and at the same time I am afraid of the stress reaction turning into a fracture.

My sesamoidites started in the summer (7 months!!) and the doctor I see has tried shoe pads, and a walking boots. Both which did not work!!!!! I had to get an MRI and they told me just what the doctor told me "I have inflammation in my two sesamoid bones." I have had two x-rays which have both said the same thing about the inflammation. I have another appointment soon and there planning on putting me back in the walking boot. I am a runner so this is very difficult. This all started in my summer training. Then I survived cross country with a lot of pain. I finally went and got it looked at and that's when all of those things happened. Now I have track and I want to do it but my coach doesn't but my parents do and the doctor decided to schedule an appointment to talk and decide on the boot (which he recommends). I hope you all get better but it has been a long painful road that isn't done yet.

I finally cured my sesamoiditis!!!!! I am so happy, I even ran 10k last night and I have no pain today, nothing, not even a twinge!!! I've suffered with sesamoiditis for 5 months, with no luck, but after 3 weeks of never walking barefoot, wearing extra padded firm slippers around the house, and investing in some gel pads designed for metatarsalgia (and wearing them everywhere) gently stretching out my calf muscles each day and also massaging the affected area and using a golf ball (rolling around underneath foot where your sesamoid is) the pain slowly started to fade and now it had completely gone!!!

I know the above may not work for everyone but stick with the methods you have been told to try-i was at the end of my tether as it took a while to see an improvement but I finally did! Good luck everyone!

Hi,

It is great to know about your recovery - I posted a couple of posts before you (Balletdancer) and I'm still struggling with this problem. Just a few questions, to you and everyone who might be able to help:

- did you also get discomfort in your flexors when stretching the toe r it was only by pressure on the sesamoid?
- What kind of pads have you been using? (Sesamoid pad that are C shaped or the ones that cover the whole ball of the foot?)
- What kind of slippers?
- ice or heat therapy (or both?)

Thank You!