[Guest]

I was diagnosed with sesamoiditis 6 weeks ago, after 2 and a half months of pain in my big toe and ball of the foot, my GP thought it was metatarsalgia at first. I was walking down the stairs and got a pain where my sesamoids are, which went shortly afterwards, but then over a period of a couple of weeks, the pain came back, spreading up to the tip of my big toe and the ball of my foot. My big toe became very stiff, and it was like having an elastic band inside it when I tried to pull it back.

The orthoapeadic surgeon says it is sesamoiditis and referred me to a podiatrist, but he is not happy with the insert she made for my shoe. She wants to correct a slight fault in my walking as she says that I am walking on the outside of my foot and banging down on the ball, whilst he wants an insert to protect the sesamoids. I am now waiting to see a different podiatrist and am using a pad on the ball of my foot for now.

I was on anti-inflammatories for 2 months which reduced the inflammation a lot and am now off pain killers, though I have pain all the time, but if I walk for longer than an hour the pain worsens considerably.

My big toe won't bend downwards if I try to do it myself, thought it will bend with the hand. My surgeon gave me some exercise to do which involved standing up onto the balls of my feet. After doing this for only 2 days the inflammation and pain came back with a vengeance.

I have now stopped doing the exercises and am trying to rest. I was surprised that my surgeon recommended going up onto the balls of my feet as I thought sesamoiditis needed rest, not exercise? It has set me back pain wise and I am still not at the point where I was BEFORE I did the exercises.

He has told me that normal day to day walking is OK, but I have been taking it easy, and am no way walking as much as I was before this happened.

He has looked at an xray and says there is no fracture involved.

I would appreciate your opinion on doing exercises with sesamoiditis and whether you think I am getting the right treatment. I can't contact my surgeon for 2 weeks as he is away on holiday in the US, (I am from the UK), so would appreciate an opinion on this.

Thank you.

[Guest]

Exercising the big toe joint by manipulating it with your hand in a non-weightbearing technique is okay and is a good way to try to get movement back in the joint. However, standing on your toes is probably not a good idea with sesamoiditis because that is the position that puts the sesamoids under the greatest stress and the one that causes the inflammation and pain.
[quote] I was diagnosed with sesamoiditis 6 weeks ago, after 2 and a half months of pain in my big toe and ball of the foot, my GP thought it was metatarsalgia at first. I was walking down the stairs and got a pain where my sesamoids are, which went shortly afterwards, but then over a period of a couple of weeks, the pain came back, spreading up to the tip of my big toe and the ball of my foot... [/quote]

[Guest]

Thanks for your quick response. Yes I see what you mean about exercising the big toe by standing on the ball of my foot, those were my feelings exactly, in fact I didn't really want to do the exercises as I was pretty sure they would bring back the pain, but thought I'd better follow the surgeons instructions.

As I caused this injury just walking down carpeted stairs in soft slippers, do you think I have a weakness there or was it just a freak accident? I wasn't running, just walking at normal speed, I'm quite surprised at this being able to cause such pain.

Also my surgeon said day to day walking is OK, but I thought it was best to rest. I have cut down on my walking a lot, hoping to get better quicker. What is your opinion on this?

Thanks for your help
[quote] Exercising the big toe joint by manipulating it with your hand in a non-weightbearing technique is okay and is a good way to try to get movement back in the joint. However, standing on your toes is probably not a good idea with sesamoiditis because that is the position that puts the sesamoids under the greatest stress and the one that causes the inflammation and pain... [/quote]

[Guest]

Avoiding long walks would probably be a good idea until to feel better. When you retyrn to your doctor, ask if he or she thinks you may have a capsulitis as well. This is inflammation in the joint and often occurs with sesamoidtis. Sometimes, this can prolong the injury if it is not treated. Also, physical therapy can help get your joint moving better again. You may want to ask if this is a possibility. Have a nice day and please write back if you have any further questions.
[quote] Thanks for your quick response. Yes I see what you mean about exercising the big toe by standing on the ball of my foot, those were my feelings exactly, in fact I didn't really want to do the exercises as I was pretty sure they would bring back the pain, but thought I'd better follow the surgeons instructions... [/quote]

[Guest]

Thankyou for that information.

Can you please tell me what the treatment is for capsulitis if I have it?

Thank you
[quote] Avoiding long walks would probably be a good idea until to feel better. When you retyrn to your doctor, ask if he or she thinks you may have a capsulitis as well... [/quote]

[Guest]

Rest as well as a cortisone injection can be beneficial.
[quote] Thankyou for that information.

Can you please tell me what the treatment is for capsulitis if I have it... [/quote]

[Guest]

Can you please tell me if the cortisone injection would just relieve pain or actually help the joint to heal, how does it actually work? And what extent of rest do you mean, do I need to come off the foot completely or just take it easy?

Thank you

[quote] Rest as well as a cortisone injection can be beneficial.
[quote] Thankyou for that information... [/quote]