Sesamoid Bone Pathology Of The Foot
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[edit] Sesamoid bone pathology of the foot
Sesamoid bones are little pea-like bony structures that are associated with flexor tendons of the great toe, but are separate structures from them. They provide a mechanical advantage so that the tendon can increase the power it is exerting. Usually there are two or three of these sesamoid bones distributed on the sole of the foot, but normally a person is not aware that they are even there. However, when they fracture or get irritated from trauma, the foot pain from them can become intolerable.
Standing foot X-rays with several views will often help classifying where the problem lies. If this does not give all of the answers, sometimes a bone scan has to be ordered.
There are a lot of variations of the normal pathology and there are other pathological abnormalities such as sesamoiditis, turf toe (subluxation of metatasal head through a tear of the 1st MP joint) and others. An orthopedic surgeon with an interest in foot surgery should be consulted, before any surgery would be planned. Unfortunately with aggressive surgery of the sesamoid bones and removal of both the medial and lateral one, a claw toe deformitiy with intractable pain can be created, which will not respond to any further therapy.
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