Beneath the great toe or hallux joint are a couple of little bones referred to as the sesamoid bones. These sesamoid bones are embedded in tendons in the same way that the patella bone is within the front of the knee. The purpose of these sesamoid bones (as well as the patella) is usually to allow the tendons a far more efficient lever to move the joint. As these sesamoids are beneath the great toe joint, they may be encountered with a lot of pressure when walking as well as actively playing sporting activity. Sports like the game of tennis in which you must use the great toe joint in order to rotate on places a whole lot of pressure to them. In the event that all these pressures are too high, it is possible to get a condition called sesamoiditis in which these little sesamoid bones as well as the tissues about them become inflamed. Using higher heels footwear additionally applies strain around the sesamoid bones and so will needing to stand all day at the job, especially on hard flooring.
The symptoms of sesamoiditis are gradually increasing levels of discomfort underneath the big toe or hallux joint. If you push exactly where these sesamoids are they can be quite painful. Sometimes the bones are very prominent because there has been some wasting of the fat pad. Sometimes, particularly if the beginning of pain can be acute there could be a bone fracture of just one or both of the bones. There are a number of problems which can affect the big toe joint for example gout or arthritis that also must be taken into consideration whenever examining a person with pain in this area.
After a sesamoiditis has been diagnosed then sesamoiditis treatment generally starts with some kind of decrease in activities or adjusting them if that's possible. Getting yourself into well padded and support footwear is also a useful approach. There are self adhesive felts that could be adhered on the foot to get force away from the painful spot. Pads could be used on inserts within the footwear. In the long run foot supports having pressure relief are typically very helpful.