Do you also have pain under your big toe? Let's talk about sesamoiditis!

Do you experience pain in the area where your big toe starts when you walk, run, or dance? More specifically, the area around the ball of your foot? You may have wondered what causes this pain. "Why does it hurt so much when I walk?" you may be wondering. In many cases, the cause of this pain is a condition we don't talk about much, but many people develop, called 'sesamoiditis.' Don't worry, even though the name may sound a bit strange, let's talk about it simply.

What is Sesamoiditis?

Simply put, this is a painful condition that occurs in our lower legs. Now let's see what exactly it is.

Imagine that on the sole of our foot, just below the big toe joint, there are two small bones. These are very small, like two sesame seeds. These bones are not directly connected to any other bones in our body. They are embedded in tendons. We call these two small bones 'sesamoid bones' .

So the main function of these two small bones is to absorb the pressure (like a shock absorber) and protect the tendons when the weight of our body comes to the sole of our feet when we walk, run, or jump.

Sesamoiditis is when those two little bones and the tendons around them become infected and swollen due to excessive pressure. This is a condition similar to tendonitis, where a tendon and a bone inside a tendon become inflamed.

Do I have sesamoiditis? What are the symptoms?

This condition usually doesn't come on suddenly. The pain gradually increases. You may first feel a dull ache under your big toe, but over time it can become a sharp pain. The pain gets worse when you use your leg, such as when you walk or run, and it gets better when you rest.

Let's look at the main symptoms like this.

Why does something like this happen? What are the reasons?

The main reason for this is that there is constant pressure on the front of the sole of the foot. Just like a muscle in the hand hurts when you do the same thing over and over again, these two small bones can become infected when there is constant pressure.

There are several main reasons why this situation occurs:

• Athletes: When you run long distances, dance (especially ballet), or play sports like cricket, football, or netball, you put a lot of pressure on your soles. This condition can also occur in children practicing for school sports meets.
• High heels: Women who wear high heels for a long time are more likely to develop this condition. This is because the weight of the entire body is transferred to the front of the foot. You may be familiar with the pain that comes after wearing high heels all day, such as at a wedding or a party.
• Foot shape: Some people have high arch feet. Some people may also have bunions. These foot shapes put extra pressure on the sesamoid bones when walking.
• Other medical conditions: Sometimes this can be caused by other medical conditions. For example:
• Gout
• Osteoarthritis
• Osteoporosis
• Another accident to the big toe

How do you find this, Doctor?

If you have this kind of pain, the best thing to do is to see a doctor. He will first ask you about your symptoms. He will ask you how long you have had the pain, what times of day it is worse, and what activities you do.

Then they will examine your leg carefully.

• They press their hands on the painful area.
• He will gently move your big toe up and down to see if there is any pain.
• Sometimes a special test (passive axial compression test) can be performed, which involves applying pressure to the joint, such as while walking.

If you suspect that you have a stress fracture, your doctor may order imaging tests, including:

• X-ray examination of the leg
• Bone scan
• A CT scan or MRI scan

It may be recommended to do tests like.

Okay, now what can be done to treat this?

Treatment for this condition often starts with simple things we can do at home, but in severe cases, medical treatment is required.

What happens after treatment? How can I prevent recurrence?

Most of the time, the pain will start to subside as soon as you start resting your leg. Rest is a way for our body to repair damaged tissues. A minor condition will usually get better in a few days. A more severe condition can take months to fully heal.

This condition can recur. Therefore, we need to do the following to prevent it from happening again:

• Wear comfortable shoes: Especially if you walk a lot, wear shoes that have support for your feet, that don't pinch your toes, and that have soft soles. Avoid wearing high heels. Get rid of old, worn-out sneakers and buy new ones.
• Consider custom orthotics: If you have a deformity in your foot, using custom orthotics can help reduce pressure on your sesamoid bones.
• Pay attention to pain: If you're an athlete, you're probably used to ignoring minor aches and pains during training. But you should definitely pay attention to any pain that persists and doesn't go away.
• Prevent pain before it happens: On a day when you've worked your legs, come home and rest for a while, apply ice, and elevate your legs. These things can help prevent damage before it happens.

Our body speaks to us loudly when we ignore the little signals it gives us. By then, it may be too late. So if you have leg pain, don't ignore it, get it checked out right away.

Sesamoiditis, Plantar fasciitis, Foot pain, Big toe pain, Foot pain, Arthritis