Sesamoiditis Pain Relief and Prevention
What is sesamoiditis? Sesamoids are bones in your body, which are connected to muscles by tendons. They differ from the other bones in your body, which are connected to each other at joints. Sesamoiditis is when the tendons attached to sesamoid bones become inflamed, causing pain, swelling and tenderness. There are only a few sesamoid bones in the human skeleton; the kneecap is the largest sesamoid, but there are two very small sesamoids in the bottom of the foot at the base of the big toe. Most of the time when you hear about sesamoiditis, it is in reference to an inflammation of the tendons in the foot, not in the knee.
Sesamoiditis is a certain type of tendonitis. Since these sesamoid bones are connected on both sides by tendons and aren't anchored in place, they are subject to the very same strain and movements as the tendons themselves. When these tendons are overused or overly strained, they become inflamed and cause sesamoiditis pain, swelling and other unpleasant symptoms.
What is sesamoiditis pain? In order to get long-lasting relief from sesamoiditis pain, the first thing you need to do is to make sure that you are not making yourself more prone to developing sesamoiditis through strenuous activities. Many people who have high arches are more likely to develop sesamoiditis than those with flat feet, so make sure to use a high arch supporting orthotic shoe insole. Providing support to the base of the foot and preventing the tendons along the bottom of the foot from stretching and straining with every step will alleviate pain from sesamoiditis, along with many other types of foot pain including plantar fasciitis, metatarsalgia, and general foot strain.
Another sesamoiditis prevention tip is to make sure you keep your feet rested, free of strain or tension whenever possible. This is important because it prevents the bones of your feet from being overly stressed, causing them to become inflamed. Excessive pressure and tension on the bones of your feet can result in sesamoiditis or even a bone spur, a precursor to arthritis. Bones that are overly strained can easily become dislocated, leading to more pain.
Sesamoiditis is especially common in people who play sports, and dancers. Sesamoiditis develops when tendons and muscles are overused. When your feet are overworked, they can lose its ability to function properly and can cause tissues to stretch out. In turn, this stretches out the muscles and tendons, resulting in pain and an inflamed sesamoid.
While surgery is an option for rare cases of sesamoiditis that won't go away, the condition is usually only temporary. Once the overworking of the foot is stopped, and orthotic insoles are used, sesamoiditis will usually go away on its own after a couple of weeks to several months. But if you want to prevent sesamoiditis from occurring, it's important to keep your feet healthy, use proper arch supporting shoe insoles, and avoid high impact to your feet.
