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sesamoid wont heal

Discussion in 'Ask your questions here' started by tomcriv53, Jan 30, 2009.

  1. tomcriv53

    tomcriv53 New Member


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    I am a freshman in college. I ran cross country and track for four years in high school. I occasionally had shin problems and had a metatarsal stress fracture my senior year of track, but I never had a sesamoid problem before. I recieved a scholorshop to run cross country at a college near St. Louis. I ran cross country there and had no problems. I continued training after the season ended as part of my training program. The bottom of my right foot started to hurt a little bit, but nothing that was going to keep me from running. I woke up one morning to realize that i couldnt flex my big toe. I thought I had re-injured my metatarsal(the one to the right of my big tow) but I later realized that it was a sesamoid problem. I couldnt push down at all without pain. The trainer said it should be fine in about a week, then I could run again. It wasnt. It got a little better after about 4 weeks, but hasnt really improved since. I took ibuprofen for many weeks and iced everyday until it simply did nothing. It had been almost 9 weeks, and after seeing an orthepedist a week ago, who ordered an MRI for me, and really doesnt know why it hasnt healed, I guess Im getting worried. I could probably tolerate running on it, but the amount of pain afterwards would be excrutiating. All I do now is work out and go on the stationary bike. It even hurts after getting off the bike, and also when I wake up in the morning. It feels better than the frist couple weeks, but hasnt gotten any better the past 4 or five weeks. The pain is not severe, but I would not be able to run.
     
  2. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Has anything worked yet?

    Hey,
    My name is Roz, and I just stumbled on this site looking for a reasonable solution to my sesamoid problem that refuses to heal. I'm also an avid runner and dancer, which is where I suppose these problems sprang from. I've been dealing with it for months now...nothing has been worse than the first week, but there hasn't been much improvement since then. I ice every day and take motrin 3 times a day but it's still inflamed.
    I was wondering if you had found any relief one way or another? I've been seeing a podiatrist who made me orthodics, and I'm self-implementing crutches.
    Do you have any advice, maybe?
    All the best!
    -R
     
  3. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

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    Reasonable solutions MAY include surgical removal when conservative care has consistently failed.
     
  4. Wn2498

    Wn2498 New Member

    I am an avid ballroom dancer. The removal of sesamoid last September to help ease the pain of the ball of the foot was helpful for several month. (I also had bunion surgery 6 years ago, on the same foot) After almost a year, the pain has started again, and has got much worse for the past 5 months. Even to walk barefoot for 30 minutes in the house can cause bruise and swollen at the ball of the foot and area around big bone behind the big toe. Will fat injection be of any help for this situation? Any suggestion will be much appreciate.
     
  5. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Hi- I'm experiencing the same problem. I see your post was from back in January, which is when my pain got so bad that I went to the dr, was diagnosed with a stress fracture and was put in a cast for 4 months. I'm out of the cast, but still dealing with pain and am using a bone stimulator to promote healing now. Would be interested in hearing how you're bone is doing and if it's healed yet and what you've done for treatment etc. Thanks.

     
  6. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Hi, I am still having problems as before. I have actually decreased my activity level significantly with no results so far. I used to go on the elliptical and bike, but dont even do that any more as it caused irritation. I recently had orthotics professionally made, but they seem to not really be doing much and are actually quite uncomfortable. My doc actually suggested a bone stimulator, describing as some sort of magnetic field healing device. Honestly, at this point, I have huge doubts as to whether or not I actually have sesamoiditis. After reading and researching foot injuries and comparing them with my history of this injury, I think I have a much more complex chronic type of tendinitis that has spread throughout my foot that the doctors I have seen are not able to figure out. Anyway, have you had any results with the bone stimulator?
     
  7. FootDoc

    FootDoc New Member

    No, I have not used bone stimulators with sesamoiditis and would question its basis for use.
     
  8. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I have honestly havent even heard of a bone stimulator so I dont know anything about it. However, my doctor told me that after a year and a half of nearly every treatment that is offered, he thought it would be worth a try as he said he has seen positive results in the past
     
  9. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    thank you for your input
     
  10. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Try changing the shoes that you wear, especially if there is one pair that you wear most often. Also, much of the pain is due to irritation of the nerves in the area that do not have much cushion. Start taking High doses of B Vitamins. I take one B-100/day (from Walmart). You will feel a difference in 3-4 days. If you stop, the pain will return.
     
  11. TOG Orthotics

    TOG Orthotics New Member

    Interesting, can I ask where you got the idea about B-vitamins?
     
  12. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Re: sesamoid wont heal - Get workout/balance shoes!

    I have minor sesamoiditis because I started running again.

    I haven't found a solution yet but I've been trying some things I've read about online. I created a doughnut shape out of an insole and placed it under my running shoe insoles to make a little pocket for the ball of my foot (right under my big toe) to support the surrounding area. It kept me from feeling foot pain during my half marathon, but I still had sensitivity walking afterwards (not nearly as much as I expected to have though). I'm afraid of continuing to run because I know what happens when it gets bad and just hurts all the time.

    Daily walking/standing tip: Because walking exacerbates the problem when I'm not running, I'm turning to solutions there. My best one so far (aside from trying not to bend my big toe too much) is to wear balance shoes (e.g., Sketcher Shape-Ups or MBT shoes/sandals). They force you to use the middle of your foot to stand so there's almost no pressure under my tender sesamoids. I'm wearing them nonstop now. There's immediate pain relief when I put them on, but I'm not sure yet what the long-term results will be for my running ability.
     
  13. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I would recommend acupuncture! It has worked wonders both times I've had sesamoiditis. The pain relief is almost immediate.
     
  14. blackhawk

    blackhawk New Member

    I have been suffering from sesamoiditis for about 3 years now. I have tried pretty much everything. The bad news is that when you’re diagnosed with sesamoiditis you will have it for life. It will never go. Be aware there are many doctors out there that have no idea how to properly treat this condition, but will claim to do so.

    With regards to a few treatments mentioned on here I would say Acupuncture is a waste of time and money as pain relief is not guaranteed for everyone - any pain relief that is experienced is very short term, i.e. 1 or 2 weeks. Bone Simulators will not work as they are only supposed to help with fractures. Orthotics will also not work on sesamoiditis, plz don’t waste money buying these very expensive insoles. The whole point of orthotics is to help the wearer redistribute weight but that can’t be done for ball of the foot problems because no matter how much redistribution there is you will always be putting weight on your sesamoids. However, the suggestion of sketchers is an interesting one if they force the wearer to use the middle part of the foot. I am going to look into this – thanks!

    Other treatments available are Cortisone injections which are not very effective.

    One thing I did find that gave me 100% relief was being injected with hyaluronic acid (synvisc), what this does is lubricates the area and also acts as a shock absorber. But it is very short term relief 1 to 3 months depending on who is injecting it, if not injected deep enough, which was done to me one time by an inexperienced doctor it will probably last only a month. It is an expensive treatment, and will have to be done forever if you do sports like me.

    The best treatment for sesamoidistis is do nothing or to stop doing the sport which is causing the problem in the first place. If not it will be a lifelong treatment of Synvisc.
     
  15. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Have you tried castor oil at all? I've had a problem with sesamoiditis as well as a bone spur at the left big toe, and I've tried all kinds of remedies. The other day I read a post about someone who had a bone spur and used a combo of castor oil and Vicks Vapo Rub and felt tremendous relief, or a cure, after only 11 days. I bought The Palma Christi castor oil at Whole Foods for $10 (I'm sure you could get it for less elsewhere, but to me it was worth it to get the best after all the misery). Initially I started using the castor oil/Vicks combo, but switched to just slathering both feet (as I have problems with itching and burning on both feet now as well as sesamoiditis and a bone spur on my left foot - can I take any more of this???) with castor oil at night and putting some socks on, and repeating each night. Even though my left foot was bothering me for awhile at night, by morning I could walk better on it than the day before.

    With me, remedies have worked for a bit, but then the pain comes back again. I have found that with the castor oil, my swelling is less, and I can definitely walk much better on my foot.

    You might try either the combo or castor oil alone and see what it does for you. It's worth a try. Personally, I can't believe I've had this condition since September of 2010, and it'll feel like a miracle if this works!

    Time will tell if it truly heals, but I think it's worth a try!
     
  16. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I've had sesamoiditis getting worse steadily for 6 years.

    Suddenly (and quite unexpectedly) I managed to get a complete heal simply by cycling on a stationary bike every day (for about 45 minutes) over several months.

    Cycling realigns the leg as well as heals the sesamoiditis bone itself.

    I think the reason sesamoiditis never seems to heal is that the leg will automatically 'un-align' itself in order to alleviate toe pan.

    The trick with cycling is to find a pair of shoes that won't cause re-injury and then ensure that the big toe is 'glued' to the other toes while cycling.
     
  17. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Happily my non-healing Sesamoiditis is disappearing now that I started rowing (on an indoor rowing machine).


    (Rowing machines are absolute feet-fixers)
     
  18. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    I have a hairline Sesamoid fracture that is parallel to the length of my foot which I'm told is pretty unusual. I'm pretty athletic, and feel like it was caused by snowboarding too much in worn out boots that put a lot of pressure on the balls of my feet, and running. The injury actually happened when my toe bent back while walking up a sandy hill barefoot. I waited a month to see the Podiatrist.

    From what I understand, sesamoids have trouble healing because of poor blood supply, so I've been doing everything I can to increase the blood supply to those bones.

    Things I'm doing:

    --CAM Boot

    -Hot/Cold Therapy (aka contrast bathing) every evening after work, and 2/day on wkends

    -Cayenne Pepper orally and topically

    -Taking 200% of the daily recommended doses of Calcium, Magnesium, Vitamin D, Zinc, Boron, Fish Oil, and a healthy joint supplement - probably should get some vitamin B too.

    -I eat close to triple the amount of fresh organic veggies that I did before the injury, and lots of protein.

    -lifting weights and doing core exercises 3 days a week, but nothing that puts any load on my foot.

    - Just started some acupuncture...I have my doubts but whatever.

    - Dancer's pad worked wonders for my other foot that also had an inflamed sesamoid. I wish my PCP wasn't an arrogant dick when I told him I thought I had Sesamoiditis a few months ago. The Dancers pads in my snowboard boots would have straight up avoided this, I guarantee it. My Dr doesn't like internet self diagnosis.

    It's been 2 weeks in the boot. I've treated this bone like the precious little pea it is and will continue to do so. I'm waiting another 2-3 weeks before I go back to the dr and get another xray, and possibly a bone scan to see how it's healing, then consider getting a bone simulator.
     
  19. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Hey, you (back then) sound like me (now)! I'm just ending my first of two weeks in the boot for sensamoiditis. So I'm trying to be really good to my body and treat those little bones with super tender loving care. Increased nutrition, icing, anit inflammatories, etc... I'm intrigued by the idea of increasing blood supply to area through non-loadbearing exercise.
    How did your's turn out? Are you better?
    I'm just so worried mine won't heal. I haven't seen any improvement in a week and really really don't want another chronic ailment with my body. I already had to stop so many things I love to do.
    Best wishes,
    Ruth
     
  20. Unregistered

    Unregistered Guest

    Acupuncture worked for me.

    Lol. So someone posted that acupuncture helped them twice. And then some genius with a degree in 'irrational' thinking posted that they think Acupuncture is a waste of time because it's not guaranteed that it will heal everyone. Seriously? It's not 100% effective so it's a waste of time? What universe do you live in where anything, especially medicine is 100% effective? This type of thinking is troubling. Acupuncture has also helped me completely get rid of the pain in my foot, long term. Before you listen to someone with irrational opinions, go try out a medicine that has sustained a billion people over the past thousand years.
     
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