Helpful Tips For Healing Sesamoid Injuries. Here’s What Worked For Me.

Sesamoid Injury

No foot injury is a good injury, but a Sesamoid Injury can be one of the worst! It has one of the longest recovery timelines and often people never recover properly. Here’s my story on dealing with a painful Sesamoid Injury and helpful tips that worked for me. This is based off of my own personal experience and is not medical advice. As always, check with your doctor before making any health changes. I hope this post serves you in having healthy feet and living an active life.

Sesamoid Injury
Sesamoid Injury

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In this post, I share my story in dealing with a painful, frustrating Sesamoid Injury and share suggestions that helped me heal. PLEASE ALSO READ: Sesamoid Injury Recovery Update 2017 for more insight and guidance to help in your healing!! 

My Story On How I got a Sesamoid Injury

I was a dancer and athlete my entire life. I majored in Dance at UCDavis and taught fitness throughout highschool and college. I was always moving with no serious injuries or anything that sidelined me for longer than a few days. I never had foot pain or foot problems. Then at age 31, one day I noticed the ball of my foot hurt. I thought it was strange and decided to foam roll my foot on a golf ball to try and work out the kinks (because typically foam rolling the feet always helps!). The next day, I couldn’t walk. The ball of my foot felt hot, painful, and swollen. I had no idea what had happened, but I knew it wasn’t good. I went to the doctor and they told me I had a Sesamoid Injury. The first doctor I saw advised me to wait on getting an xray, they said I had only bruised my Sesamoid. I was put in a boot and told to lay off of my foot. Three months later, I had no progress, so I decided to get an xray. The xray showed an “oncult” fracture in my medial sesamoid.  I followed the same steps: lay off the Sesamoid as much as possible. Six months later, a physical therapist told me to start doing barefoot exercises to help with the pain. I followed this plan, thinking it was helping, but it was only causing inflammation. It wasn’t until 8 months into the injury I found a doctor that really understood Sesamoid Injuries. She put me in stiff shoes with a orthotic custom fit for my foot (and with a cut out for my sesamoid). Within weeks, I had made incredible progress and wasn’t experiencing pain. From there, I started working with a Physical Therapist at San Francisco Crossfit, who knew how to help people heal from Sesamoid Injuries. We did conditioning workouts to help me strengthen all of the areas around my foot without putting pressure on the injury. This was incredibly valuable in helping me return to movement and restore my body. Once the foot was pain free, we gradually started to introduce loading the big toe joint and bending the foot into workouts. A year later, I am 98% pain free in my foot. I haven’t returned to wearing high heels or running, but I am confident within time I will be able to mindfully try both. One of the hardest things for me in this process was the lack of information on healing Sesamoid Injury. If you google Sesamoid Injury, the results are so disheartening and traumatizing. Hence the motivation to write this post and share my story with you. If you are dealing with a Sesamoid Injury, I hope the below gives you insight and helps you along your healing journey. First let’s talk about Sesamoids and understand the important role they play in the body.

In this video I share my experience in dealing with a Sesamoid Injury and healing suggestions that worked for me

Sesamoid Foot Injury. Here’s What Worked for Me In Healing.

What the heck are sesamoids?

A sesamoid is a bone embedded in a tendon. Sesamoids are found in several joints in the body. In the normal foot, the sesamoids are two jelly bean-sized bones located in the ball of the foot, beneath the big toe joint. The sesamoids act as a pulley for tendons, their primary function is to help raise and lower the big toe with each step (allowing you to push off your foot when you walk, run, dance, or jump).  The sesamoids also serve as a weight bearing surface for the first metatarsal bone (the long bone connected to the big toe), absorbing the weight placed on the ball of the foot when walking, running and jumping.

Sesamoid injuries can involve the bones, tendons and/or surrounding tissue in the joint. They are common with activities requiring increased pressure on the ball of the foot, like running, basketball, football, golf, tennis and ballet. People with high arches or flexible feet are at risk for developing sesamoid problems. High-heeled shoes can also be a contributing factor.

Lucky for me, I did ALL of the above before my injury: running, dancing, jumping, and high heel shoe wearing with high arches and flexible feet. I was a prime candidate for a Sesamoid Injury. 

What are the symptoms of a Sesamoid Injury?

  • Pain is focused under the big toe on the ball of the foot. With sesamoiditis, pain may develop gradually, whereas with a fracture, the pain will be immediate. For me, I literally couldn’t walk with my injury. It was too painful.
  • Swelling and bruising may or may not be present.
  • There may be difficulty and pain when bending and straightening the big toe.

Sesamoid Injury Healing Suggestions

Because the sesamoid bones are weight bearing, they are incredibly tough to heal. We are always using our feet, and the only break they get to repair & heal is while we sleep. But DONT get discouraged! You can heal from a Sesamoid Injury! You just have to be patient, smart, and have the right team of professionals to work with. I have found some ways to help in healing from a Sesamoid Injury and want to share them with you. But first, before we get into what has worked and is currently working for me, you should know a few things:

I am not a doctor. This is all based on my personal experience and research. Please LISTEN to your body, do your own research and investigating. These are just tips that will hopefully give you some insight and healing.

To completely heal, you MUST be diligent and take healing seriously the entire time. You have to become more stubborn than the injury itself.

A few thoughts on healing Sesamoid Injury based off my personal story:

Initial stage of Healing a Sesamoid Injury:

  1. Find a REAL doctor who knows about Sesamoid injuries. Since the Sesamoid Injury is a rare injury, many doctors dont know how to properly treat it. I was asked several times by physical therapy clinics how to SPELL Sesamoid (not a good sign!)! Many people havent heard of Sesamoid Injuries and if they have, dont have the right experience to work with you. Make sure the professionals you choose have had success helping patients in coming back from Sesamoid injuries. I wasted a lot of time with the wrong doctors and bad medical advice. It made my recovery a much longer process.
  2. OFFLOAD. You have to get off the Sesamoid Injury as much as possible to get it to heal. Keep your foot stiff and immobile. Use a boot and try not to walk or bend the foot. I know if you are active, this can feel like a death sentence. But just DO IT. Use my Hurt Foot Workouts to help you keep your body and mind moving while you give your foot a break. 
  3. Never walk barefoot. I had a pair of shoes for home and a pair of shoes for outside of the home. You don’t want to be walking around barefoot and putting pressure on the Sesamoid Injury (or running the risk of bending your foot – which causes pain).
  4. Use cut out orthotics that allow the Sesamoid bone to float. 
  5. Focus getting the inflammation down. I took daily epsom salt baths and used supplements like Arnica . I include my full list of food supplements in My Hurt Foot Fitness Program. 
  6. All exercise should not use your foot. Again, I included all of the safe exercises, workouts and routines in My Hurt Foot Fitness Program. It can be done safely while you heal. 

Coming back into movement after a Sesamoid Injury 

  1. Start physical therapy ASAP. This has helped me tremendously. There is no way I would have made the progress I have without it.
  2. Find a supportive shoe with a wide toe box. I used the Altra Running shoesI bought 3 pairs (one to wear at home, outside, and travel). I’ve heard some Sesamoid Injury folks respond well to the Hoka shoes, but these didnt work for me. 
  3. Once the injury is stabilized & under control enough to move a bit, get into the pool. It brings down inflammation, increases circulation which flushes out the sesamoid area, helps with range of motion and you feel amazing. Just be super careful when you push off the wall, or do no walls to not place the injury at risk. I swim 30 minutes about 3-4 times a week.
  4. For me, spinning/indoor cycling was a great workout that didnt place excess pressure on my foot. The stiff sole of the cycling cleat kept my foot and big toe joint from bending. My good foot doctor even told me that the spin cleat was ideal to protect my toe! I put a J pad cushion in the cleat to help offload the sesamoid even more. But again: listen to your body and if spinning is too much for you, dont do it.
  5. Do Strength training! You must re-condition your body. Perform strength training without bending the foot. Squats, dead lifts, hip bridges, exercises that allow you to strengthen your hips, butt, legs, core, and more without bending the foot or putting excess stress on the Sesamoid. You are strengthening all of the areas AROUND your foot to help you come back to full health. Avoid lunges, planks, or anything that bends your foot. 
  6. Once the bone has healed, you want to SLOWLY transition back into loading the foot. You will have to carefully start to load the foot. This needs to be done properly and only a little bit at a time.

How To Heal from a Sesamoid Injury and Still Exercise

What the Sesamoid Injury Has Taught Me

  • To not take movement for granted. I am so much more grateful for any activities I can do. Every day I wake up healthy I say thank you.
  • That you don’t have to run (or jump!) to be in great shape. You can maintain your fitness with a foot injury. I share my secrets here. 
  • That there is so much to love about life outside of exercise! I found other hobbies and things that I loved that didn’t involve my body.
  • That the body changes over time. One day my body wont be able to do all of the things that it used to do. So it’s important to strengthen other parts of myself – because no matter how your body changes YOU are still YOU inside.
  • That the world keeps spinning. Life goes ON. You have to find ways to be happy even with your foot injury. Accept, deal, and heal. Find the good in life and BE HAPPY!

Want MORE? Here are a few answers to your Sesamoid Questions:

Have you dealt with a Sesamoid Injury? What has worked for you? Let me know in the comments below.

If you are dealing with a painful foot injury right now, I know how you feel and my heart goes out to you! I hope this post is helpful for you and I want you to know: you are not alone. You will get through this and be stronger because of it. I am here to support you in having healthy, happy feet for life. Looking forward to sharing some satisfying steps and foot success with you online and off.

Love,

Caroline

Are you feeling lost, stuck, or unhealthy? Get the coaching you need to succeed. Contact me at: [email protected]

STAY IN SHAPE WHILE YOU HEAL FROM A SESAMOID INJURY with my FULL Hurt Foot Fitness Coaching Program. Designed to keep you fit, sane, and positive.

Other Things To Check Out:

Want more information on healing Sesamoid Injuries? Check out this Sesamoid Injury Playlist:

 

118 Replies to “Helpful Tips For Healing Sesamoid Injuries. Here’s What Worked For Me.”

  1. Thank you so much Caroline for sharing your sesamoid journey with us! It is refreshing to read a post like yours that is so positive and informative for others dealing with this very same injury I can’t thank you enough! 🙂

    1. Thank you Kristin! I hope to help others in healing from such a tough and frustrating injury.

      1. I did the same thing! Foam rolled my foot on a ball at pilates because it was sore. Next thing I knew I couldn’t walk on it and was diagnosed with sesamoiditis. Your videos and tips have kept me going over the past 3 weeks in the boot. It still hurts and I’m going to ask about going to PT. Thank you!!

        1. Hi Leslie! Woa thats crazy! Man I feel for you – its a long journey of recovery, but I want to give you HOPE. Today (almost 2 years post injury) I am NOT in pain and can do most everything except run and wear heels. Not being in pain feels AMAZING and I am actually in BETTER shape now than I was before the injury! So BELIEVE and keep healing the right way – you can get there.

          You’ll be excited to know I just launched a comprehensive Hurt Foot Fitness online coaching course. It’s interactive and contains valuable content you can use to stay fit and positive no matter what physical challenge you face. I havent officially announced it on the channel yet…. but you can check it out here: https://caroline-jordan-fitness.teachable.com/p/hurt-foot-fitness-coaching-program

          What other products do you feel would be helpful as you heal? What do you feel you need to manage the challenge of injury (mentally, physically, and spiritually)? I want to work to help you! Let me know 🙂

          Also, if you feel so inclined to leave a facebook review or share my work with your community, I would be so grateful It means the world to have YOU as a part of my community and know that we can stay positive and fit together online or off. I am sending you positive energy and light. Hope to share another great workout you soon <3

          In gratitude,
          Caroline

        2. Hello! I’m a runner but have never noticed any kind of foot pain. I usually run on Mt. Tam or on trails in Marin. Since Covid though I’ve been running on a lot of pavement. On flatlands. I have just started going back to trails gradually. This morning I woke up and noticed my big toe hurt on the right side. I could barely walk when I got out of bed. It seems this happened over night! It’s swollen and tender and hot … my whole foot feels swollen after a day on my feet wearing shoes. I’m going to follow your treatment advice but can’t fathom not running!! How could this happen? I’m so sad! Would you share the name of your PT? I’m near SF and could start therapy. Anything to get through this quickly. Thanks.

          1. Im so sorry to hear about everything you are going through Laura. I have healed well and now coach clients virtually all over the world and to help them heal successfully from Sesamoid injuries. Reach out to me at [email protected] if I can be of service to you in your journey!

      2. Hello Caroline, I hope you and your family are well. I have really benefited from reading your article thank you very much and I reference it often. I found out I have a fractured sesamoid bone on November 4 th 2022 after I fell on October 20th 2022. I went to a Podiatrist who verified it with an MRI as well as X-rays. I stayed as immobile as possible even though I am a highly active person on my feet. I did Ice, raising my feet up , eating very nutritious etc then I transitioned into a cam boot and knee rover. My Podiatrist said to keep doing what I’m doing and it looks like the bone is trying to connect. I started physical therapy on Jan 4 2023 with an excellent physical therapist and the doctor wanted me to start wearing sneakers that same week but I waited a couple of weeks until I found the right Altra sneakers with wide toe box, zero toe drop thanks to your article! I went straight from the cam boot to sneakers and my podiatrist doesn’t want me in an orthotic but to see how I handle it with sneakers alone. I cannot walk on my foot for a long period without suffering and my foot swells very red hot. I have done a lot of research and including your article have seen patients transition into orthotics then after more healing full fledge walking on the sesamoid in sneakers. I really want to get back to my active life and I don’t want any surgery. Some say orthotics put undue pressure on the other area of the foot but I feel the sesamoid should float to allow the bone to heal then later remove the orthotics. I think I want to get another opinion from another podiatrist but I am not a doctor so should I suffer through without an orthotic or am I hurting my sesamoid that is trying to heal? Or even just use a dancers pad to help it along is what my common sense tells me. I wish I knew what to do. I hope to hear from you thank you again for your time.

        Sincerely,

        RJ

    2. Thank you for this info! I actually fractured my lateral sesamoid (right foot) last April and had inflammation in both bones, was non-weight bearing for 6 months, and 2 months ago finally resorted to surgery to reshape my arch and take pressure off the sesamoid area. I’m rehabbing now, but the sesamoid pain is still there. And because of the non-weight bearing months, I’ve now injured the sesamoids in my left foot. This feels like such an uphill battle! (I have also been a dancer, athlete and runner all of my life…at least I made it to 39 before this happened lol.)
      You said you walked in a stiff shoe with a custom orthotic. Can you recommend a shoe? I have Altra zero drop running shoes, but my surgeon doesn’t think they are the best option. And did you find the orthotic/prosthetic designer on your own? I was sent to someone who said he couldn’t build anything to help with sesamoiditis. I was wearing dancer/sesamoid pads for a long time but they didn’t offer much relief. I would appreciate any advice!!! Thank you for sharing this!

      1. Hello Lisa! I have also had surgery due to broken sesamoid and I highly recommend the New Balance shoes with a Roll Bar. Either those or Brooks shoes. They’re $100+ but definitely worth it! These are the shoes my doctor recommended, and I own a pair of the New Balance with a Roll Bar and they are very comfortable and good at off-lifting that toe.

        1. How did your surgery turn out? I had one doctor suggest it but I am scared and have heard it isnt always helpful….

      2. Hope you found shoes that work best! But if you havent, my podiatrist recommended Asics GT 2000… It has a stabilizing arch bridge and a foreward rocking front. I bought the wide option as the shoes are fairlt narrow.

    3. I fractured my right sesamoid in March 2016. It healed slowly from only doing research and offloading using dancer pads, taping and only wearing low, stiff shoes. I also bought a pair of Altra runners for walking about., but mostly, I LIVED in Oofos sandals and shoes with a sesamoid pad or the like to offset my weight on the bones. Oofos were the only shoe that gave me almost total relief from the constant pain. I was finally pain free and able to get around from 2018 to present. Then, the pain came back. I’m not an athlete, runner or do any type of exercise or activity that would have exacerbated the previous injury. Note that I only recently had xrays and an MRI to confirm the fracture in March 2021. The podiatrist I see here in Austin suggested I wear the boot, and completely offload with a scooter. The scooter hurt my knee, so went with a wheelchair. I am now in week 2 of following orders, but my foot hurts much worse in the boot than wearing my Oofos, which supports my heel when I have to transition from sitting to sitting again. I am listening to my body and have ditched the short, ankle boot for my Oofos shoes with a pad just to make sure no weight on my foot hits the ground. Do you think this is putting my recovery in jeopardy? The boot seems like it puts more pressure on the bone.

      And thank you so very much for this incredibly helpful article, blog and exercises. It’s the best out there!

    4. I thank you so much for your video I was completely freaking out because yoga dance and exercise is one of the biggest things in my life! I have a sesamoid fracture. I was in the doctors office for 20 min I didn’t ask enough questions so I am so grateful for your blog! Thank you so much!❤️one question since he told me to continue to wear my sons Nike sneakers ( the only thing I could get on.)they are too big and hideous I don’t know if I should wear them to bed or what I do when I sleep. I have high dose Motrin I hope that helps but I am not sure how to protect my foot during deep. Thank so much!!!
      Rachel

  2. I am so beyond happy I came across this…it gives me hope. Like you, I’m a high heel wearing former dancer with super high arches who runs…so it’s shocking I haven’t injured it until I turned 31. I fractured my lateral sesamoid in my right foot in March 2016 while running a 5k. Well, I didn’t realize exactly what I did and put off getting it checked because I never had swelling. I had pain the next day and eventually it went away, but I never thought it was more than just a “tweek” in my foot. The pain would come and go with excessive physical activity, and finally in May 2017, I went to a podiatrist only to find out that I in fact have a chronic fracture.

    One should NEVER look to Google about anything body related, but being a massage therapist, I wanted to know what I was dealing with. Talk about sheer panic setting in! Being a former dancer, I can’t imagine having surgery on my foot and potentially having my balance messed with. That’s all I can think about! I’ve been in a walking boot since May 1st, NWB for 4 weeks and using an ultrasound bone stimulator for 3 weeks. I’ll do anything to NOT have surgery for this.

    Being the active person I am, it’s been killing me to not workout…and I’ve been noticing that my calf muscles on my right leg are atrophying (scary!!!). I can’t wait to check out what kind of exercises you have done for your whole body while in your boot. Hopefully it will give me the boost I need right now.

    I go back to the doctor on Monday for a check up…so fingers crossed that everything is healing really well. ??

    Thanks again for your post!!!!

    1. Hi Ashley! I’m wondering how everything turned out for you? I’ve been in a boot since oct 30, 4 weeks non-weight bearing and now I’ve been using the ultrasound stimulator for about 10 days…. I also want to avoid surgery at all costs but my dr has pretty much run out of options for me.. I’ll be out of the boot next week (as long as I’m pain-free) and transition to a regular shoe with inserts/dancer pad. I need a success story!! And yours seems so similar to mine! Thanks!

      1. Kim your Sesamoid injury sounds similar to mine and I have been using the bone stimulator for 3 weeks. I am just wondering how your bone is doing and if it healed? Did the stimulator help?

      2. Kim your Sesamoid injury sounds similar to mine and I have been using the bone stimulator for 3 weeks. I am just wondering how your bone is doing and if it healed? Did the stimulator help? Did you have to wear a walking boot? Would you wear it at night?

      3. Hi Kim,
        Has your sesamoid settled down yet and how long did it take? I posted under Ashley’s comment too.
        I’m losing hope

    2. Hi Ashley,
      Just curious how long it took you to recover from sesamoiditis. I’ve had it for a year now, it settled down but was never fully gone and I started dancing on it, hardly anything though just rumba and a bit of quickstep. I wore proper dance sneakers , padded it up and it still flared right back up.

    3. Ashley – this sounds so similar to my experience. I first felt pain in August 2020 and was originally diagnosed with Metatarsalgia and told to not run/jump/etc. for 6 weeks. (I thought I had an overuse injury from marathon training). The weeks passed, and I was sick of waiting, so I picked up my typical running and workouts again… the pain remained very minimal – almost unnoticable at times. I finally got an X-ray from a podiatrist yesterday out of pure resposibility more than anything else, and was quite shocked to find out one of my sesamoids was “totally smashed” (his words)… now I’m in a boot, with an uncertain future in sight. However, I’m in an interesting position, because my pain is so minimal… I just don’t want to reinjure it worse down the line, and obviously want a healed bone. How are you doing right now?

      1. YES!! I have healed well and now coach clients virtually all over the world and to help them heal successfully from Sesamoid injuries. Reach out to me at [email protected] if I can be of service to you in your journey!

  3. Really Thank you for sharing these experience and lessons with us. I am dealing with this challenge (I don’t wanna use the word “Problem”) and you make me have confidence to go through this. really really appreciate it !
    btw: I am from Taiwan!

  4. I just wanted to say thank you for all of your information and workouts for a sesamoid injury. I was obsessed with barre class and ended up with a terrible sesamoid injury that I’ve been working on since March. It is so true that many doctors/PT places do not understand/know about the injury and it seems like such a slow recovery. Thanks for giving me hope and exercises to do so I don’t go crazy! : )

  5. Definitely the best article I have read about a 1st hand experience. I too am very active; dance, teach fitness and wear high heels. This has been extremely helpful and has given me some of my hope back to have an active life again.

  6. Thank you so much for taking time to share your story. I now have a glimmer of hope that this injury will heal eventually. I am looking forward to using your fitness program tomorrow instead of sitting around and feeling sorry for myself. Thanks again!

    1. You are doing great Cindy! STAY IN FAITH!! Your injury will heal! And Im also putting together an interactive Hurt Foot Fitness program! Even better! Stay tuned for more… and get excited to spend more time getting active and staying positive with me while you recover <3

  7. So excited to read this and it gives me motivation to just lay off my foot! Been dealing with this for more than 2 years now and it’s gradually gotten worse. Don’t think it’s actually fractured because it was a gradual onset but I’m having a CT scan in a couple weeks. Thanks for sharing your story!

  8. This is the most helpful thing I have read about a broken sesamoid bone. I broke mine over a year ago, and it still has yet to heal or stop hurting. So this gives me hope as I was starting to consider surgery. I am 27 and very active I am always on my feet! I still do crossfit but had to give up running, kickboxing and my tough mudder races. Sometimes it get’s so frustrating, but I always have to remind myself that it could be worse. After getting multiple X-rays and MRI’s and seeing 2 different doctors and they aren’t much help so I decided to stop wasting my money going there. I did get custom made orthotics but I am still in pain, while wearing them. I guess my question for you is how long did it take for your foot to stop hurting?

    1. Hi Megan! The timeline for healing is different person to person – every body is different! My foot gets sore sometimes when I use it too much. Also: once you hurt your Sesamoid, you may always have a sensitivity there. If you need to set up a coaching call to gain more insight and support in your healing journey, let me know. I have been able to help Sesamoids all over the world in developing a personal healing plan and make progress. Also, be sure to check out this post: http://carolinejordanfitness.com/sesamoid-injury-recovery/ and watch all the videos!! Sending you healing love and positive energy <3

      1. Caroline thanks so much I would love any extra help I can get as I am desperate at this point. Have you gotten the injections in your foot? I’ve had one so far but getting mixed messages from doctors about it. And also I’m always on my feet at work do you have a certain shoe you can recommend. Or do you just wear sneakers all the time?

        1. Hi Megan! I have not had injections and am not sure about them. I wear sneakers ALL the time with my custom orthotic inserts made by Doctor Arlene Hoffman DPM in San Francisco. I hope this is helpful! Let me know <3

  9. Thanks for sharing your experience. I have been “blessed” with extra sesamoid bones on my 3rd and pinky toes. I fractured the sesamoid on my 3rd toe almost 3 months ago. Obviously still hurting pretty bad. Wishing I could make myself stay off my foot, but that is so hard! The Dr has mentioned surgery several times, but I told him I am not the surgery-type! ha! I really do not want to go there if I don’t have to. He says with me having extra sesamoids that its untelling how my tendons are wrapped around each one and that is contributing to me not healing too. Not where I want to be, but I know it could be worse. 🙂 Thanks again for sharing with us!

  10. Would you mind sharing who your doctor is? I live in San Francisco and have been dealing with a sesamoid issue for months now. This was really helpful, thank you!

  11. Hello, I received news October 30, 2017, that I broke my right foot medial sesamoid bone. I came across this webpage and THANKED GOD for you! Thank you for making the decision to journal your healing process via blogs, videos and this webpage! I can truly use the support. I’ve never broken a bone before and I’m told by my podiatrist that this is the worst bone to break! I was given a össur air walker boot to wear. My doctor ordered me to wear the boot outdoors and indoors, even to sleep. He mentioned not to elevate the foot. He said that he needs as much blood supply to the area to help the bone heal. Surprisingly I don’t feel as much pain as I did the first two days but there is swelling over a week later. Did u walk on your foot in the supportive footwear or did u keep it off the ground and use crutches until the bone healed? Thank you for all of your help and time taken to read and reply to my post!

    1. Hi Amie! Im so sorry to hear about your sesamoid. I did not have as severe a case and am lucky that i did not need crutches. You have to give it time to heal! Broken bones will heal if you let them. Listen to your doctor and be kind to your body!! I am happy my posts have been helpful to you and am sending love.

      1. Hello. You mentioned that you wore Altra running shoes, once you were able to return to shoes. What style did you wear? I went into the Road Runner shoes store and they did not have many Altra styles to try on in store… most styles are only available online. I left with the Hoka Bondi 5. I would like to try on a pair of Altra that are comparable to the Hoka style I chose. Thank you!

        1. Hi Amie! I have heard the Hoka’s can also help with Sesamoids – listen to your feet they are smart! I had to order my Altra’s online, I used the intuition http://amzn.to/2B4o130 . I moved over into New Balance (they are GREAT!) and really love them. I use the Zante with my custom orthotic https://www.amazon.com/New-Balance-Zantev3-Running-Reflection/dp/B01FSJ5R3C/ref=sr_1_2?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1513034206&sr=1-2&nodeID=7141123011&psd=1&keywords=new+balance+zante . Let me know if you check either out!

  12. Thanks Caroline for your personal insights and suggestions. I just had an MRI that confirmed that I had a fractured sesamoid bone in my left foot. I also have a Ganglion cyst in the same area of my foot that makes it feel like I am walking on a marble. I was just fitted with a walking brace that I need to wear for 6-8 weeks. I was surprised that it was a fracture as I have not sustained any injury in my foot. I am not a physically active person (no sports or dance) and do not wear high heels. I feel discouraged as the pain has been increasing over the last 6 weeks since I first noticed that the ball of my left foot was swollen and bruised. What have you done to control the pain? Have you heard of a cyst in addition to a fracture of the sesamoid bone? Any recommendations?

    1. Hi Marie! Wow that sounds super painful – I have not heard of a cyst in addition to fractures. What does your doctor recommend?

  13. Great tips thank you, I’d like to add a couple if I may. Unfortunately, I had to take my sesamoid injury to the surgical route, 7 screws and a plate, which is described as a sesamoid fusion, basically one of the most painful injuries I have in my life (I had spinal fusion, C4, 5, 6- 2/12 years back) and I would take that over again versus sesamoid fusion. Basically, since a tendon is involved they grind the Metatarsal bone, attach your middle phalange bone with the Metatarsal bone and with 6 direct screws through the plate and a 45 degree screw that stabilizes the fusion. This leaves you with just movement in your big toe if your lucky, its very limited movement and at first (0) flexibility. I broke my middle phalange (bone between big toe and Metatarsal bone). Right after the injury I basically self diagnosed myself and used ice and elevation to reduced the swelling and hopefully heal up, not the correct choice because when I walked the phalange kept splintering causing more damage than I had already done thus the reason for the sesamoid fusion surgery.

    With all that said, follow the 25 steps that Caroline outlines, countless athletes never return to their normal activities due to sesamoid injuries and / or surgery, it’s just not possible due to the pressure and weight bearing on that area of your foot. The tip that stood out to me most was finding a provider/physician that specializes in sesamoid injuries, an orthopedic provider might have a class or two but a Podiatrist than can perform surgery is who you should be seeing if you choose to go in.

    A couple of quick tips if you decide or have to have sesamoid fusion surgery:
    * Be prepared for immobilization, by this I mean prepare mentally and prepare your home, prepare your caregivers with every ounce of information to assist you when you are immobilized, read everything you possibly can for aftercare and be a patient patient, I was immobilized for 4 & 1/2 weeks and my hardest part of the immobilization was the mental aspect, you go from 100 mile per hour life to stop, be prepared mentally and ask for help if depression sets in as can easily happen with active people.
    * Follow your aftercare instructions to the letter, do not and I reiterate do not try to short cut your healing process. Correspond with your surgeon or his or hers PA, tell them the truth on your recovery (xrays dont lie), if you push it, your recovery time will triple or you can end up back on the table starting all over again, if you read blogs you will find many cases of people that broke their plates, screws, etc trying to do what they used to do and starting over would take another year of activity of your life.

    In closing, stay positive as possible, in the beginning of rehab, the bad days will be more often then the good days, but stay positive that you know the bad days will lesson and even out the good days and then the good days will slowly take over the bad days, even when you hear the words “this will be a 15-18 month heal” stay positive. thank your caregivers, they are the most important people to you during your recovery, I’m in my 7th month of healing, walking without my boot 3-4 days per week (make sure you put it on when needed). Lastly, set an attainable goal, not an unrealistic goal an attainable goal, mine is to run a 5k during labor day weekend of 2018, attainable if all goes well. Caroline, thanks for the tips and the comment section and yes I have subscribed! I wish i would have seen your information sooner! And yes, barefoot days are over:)

    rdk

  14. I fractured my sesamoid in Aug 2017, plowed thru thinking the pain would go away and 10 days later saw a podiatrist. She put me in a walking boot with a cut out so no weight on sesamoids. After 4 weeks she gave me ortho inserts for my sneakers that she doctored with a pad to offset weight bearing to sesamoids. I’ve been transitioning from the boot slowly to only shoe with ortho. Many strengthening exercises for mobility for ankle, Achilles, plantar fascia have helped me walk “normally” again. Still some pain/discomfort at times, but it’s only been 3 months since injury. Found Caroline’s website and it’s been the light in my life. EVERYTHING she says in spot on!! I’ve been doing her workouts and they kick my butt!! It’s a long recovery but I believe I will get there and wish to walk barefoot on the beach again someday!! Thank you Caroline for sharing your story and inspiration!!

    1. Hi Lisa!! Your thoughtful words mean the world to me.

      I put my heart into my work with the mission to help people everywhere find fitness, positivity, and health. Thank you thank you for letting me know my work means something to you! You mean something to me 🙂

      You may already know I am currently in the works creating a comprehensive Hurt Foot Fitness online coaching course (hence the need for a testimonial!). It’s interactive and contains valuable content people can use to stay fit and positive no matter what physical challenges they face. I am hard at work with it and hope to have it out before 2018! Not going to lie… its looking really good and Im so proud of it!! Stay tuned for more updates and info on the channel, I hope to share it with you 🙂

  15. At last someone who knows exactly what im feeling right now.After hiking since the age of 7 and now in my seventies was feeling so dejected that I may never be able to hike again but you have given me hope .When i mentioned that I felt a stiff sole shoe would help the expert podiatry shoe fitter said all her shoes were fairly flexible so reading your blog its so nice to know my instinct was right .Many many thanks

  16. Hi Caroline! I have a bipartite fractured tibial sesamoid on my left foot and a bipartite tibial sesamoid on my right foot that has “flared” up since I am putting more weight on it. I am going to a podiatrist that understands sesamoid injuries and have been in a “bunion splint” (that also works for immobilizing toe), boot and on crutches for almost four weeks and a sesamoid pad and splint on my right foot. I am also seeing a physical therapist to help me strengthen my core muscles and develop tighter hamstrings, glutes while I wait for my foot to heal – I also developed a muscle sprain in my back with radiating nerve pain due to limping on my foot, thus the initial visit to the therapist. He is a good therapist, in my opinion, and is knowledgeable about sesamoid fractures. However, I am still having occasional shooting pain my big left toe (the one that is fractured) and currently don’t see an end in sight with the boot. 🙁 Is there a way that I could set up a phone call with you to discuss additional healing steps that I can take for my foot?

    1. Hi Bethany! Im so sorry to hear about your sesamoid injuries, but grateful to have been able to connect with you through this post! It sounds like you are building a really strong recovery team with the BEST expertise to support you in your healing journey. I would be honored to work with you and help you take additional steps to move positively forward in healing. I offer virtual injury recovery coaching if you would like personalized recommendations, guidance, and support. Together we would work together to create a fitness routine and other lifestyle habits to allow you to move forward in healing. I work with clients all over the world and have helped people stay fit and positive while recovering from this injury. It is really powerful to serve clients in this way. I believe investing in coaching is the best way to make a commitment to yourself, your health, and your happiness. You can learn more about my services here: http://carolinejordanfitness.com/services/

      Please let me know if you would like to set up a virtual coaching appointment or have any questions about working with me. I am sending you positive, healing energy. Looking forward to hearing from you soon and be well!

      Caroline

  17. Hi I just wanted to share with you what worked for me. I have been dealing with this injury for two years now. And I can finally say I’m pain free!!! Just to give you a little background I am very active I do CrossFit at least five times a week have a very active job and also enjoy hiking. I have X-rays and MRI done, this foot injury has takin a toll on me. But I’m happy to say that I’m back to doing what I love. Along with seeing many doctors and getting a custom made orthotic for my sesamoid injury. I realizeed that the reason my sesamoid wasn’t getting better was because my big toe was moving in my shoes. (New balance shoes are really good) and it was creating more swelling on my bone. So I decided to make something to keep my toe from moving in my shoe. I purchased toe separators the cheep foam ones the nail salon gives you. And I cut one piece off to fit under my big toe to keep it from moving. I would put this on my toe then put my socks on and then my shoes. It takes a little getting use to but it helped heel my sesamoid. I am pain free and back to doing what I love. Although I still wear my orthotics every day and the toe cut out I made. I am happy to feel good about myself again. I hope this helps someone else and to share.

    1. What a cool story and inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing Megan. Would you be open to showing a photo of your toe separator you made so I can see how you put it together/it works? Are you able to wear “normal shoes” without the orthotics?

  18. What exercises can you do to keep your bones strong and ankles while wearing a boot for sesemoid fracture. My daughter is a dancer and she has a sesemoid fracture and she must go and dance in croasia next year May an she was just put in a moon boot for a sesemoid fracture. Any advice for her.

    1. unfortunately there are no exercises – she must keep the foot stable and from moving. Rest is the best exercise for recovery 🙂

  19. Thank you so much for this information! I’ve been in a boot for 6 weeks for this type of injury to my right foot. It will feel better and then bam- hurting again. The boot has caused some back and hip issues also. It is discouraging but I am going to check out your suggestions and hope to see an improvement.
    Thank you again.

    1. As far as your hip and back issues, the Even Up is a rubber platform you can attach to a sneaker on your good foot to even the height of your good foot with the booted foot. Keeps you balanced!! I bought mine at my podiatrists office, but you can also buy it online. Just Google ‘Even Up’. Good luck!! ?

  20. I have been dialing with foot pain for nearly 10 years. Chronic plantar fasciitis, sesamoids (MRI confirmed it has moved), painful arches, toes. I do overpronate, I went the route of wearing orthotics for 6 years (had over 10 different ones made) and I feel it made my feet atropied. I got out of orthotics, but never got the correct rehab for strengthening my feet. I have so much pain in my feet. This has caused knee, hip and shoulder pain due to the compensation pattern.

    I truly concentrate on building my core and glutes, but my feet continue being very painful.

    I recently went to a podiatrist who also took an x-ray, the sesamoid bone is misaligned, along with plantar fasciitis. He also insists on orthotics (I do not want them, I literally hate the word), but refused. He suggested stretching but I saw the video and you say the stretching for the sesamoid is not good. He has recommended EPAT for the plantar fasciitis, which could take 3 to 4 treatments (quite costly) as I have it in both feet). He never addressed the sesamoid being misaligned. This is my problem, no doctor or PT addresses the feet and strengthening the whole body. As for PT they are only allowed to work on one body part (insurance).

    I am at my wits trying to address all my issues and to say the least I am in a bad place, trying to figure who can help. I wish I could find someone like you did to help.

    Do you think I could solve my issues and just try to strengthen my feet without wearing orthotics. There is a time and place for these, but I literally go put into them (a very thick orthotic) into motion control sneakers, which was a overkill and I feel this was the worst think for my feet. I was able to walk for miles, but the foot pain is so pain, I literally wear a pair of OOFOS as a shoe feels too constrictive. Let me know where do I start to get out of pain. All doctors and PTs are not made equal, just need to find the right one.

    Sorry this is long.

    PS I was told my feet are too hypermobile (don’t believe in this as a diagnosis but a symptom) but I think the feet and ankles can be rehabilitated and be strong without caskets put into a shoe.

    Thanks.

  21. Thank you for this information! This has been more helpful and encouraging than any other website that I have found so far. I am currently a junior dance major at school, and I was dancing on a partially fractured sesamoid for 6 months until I started doing PT for what I thought was sesamoiditis. Two months later I got an x-ray and MRI that confirmed that there are stress fractures in my right foot. I did not get to dance at all last semester, and I probably won’t dance next semester either. I have been in a boot for four months now, and I am doing PT over my winter break, but my patience is definitely being tried. I’m ready to keep working though, and I will not let this stop me from dancing professionally! Thank you for creating this community, I wish that I had found it sooner!

  22. Hi, I am afraid my post is going to be very long, so I am apologizing for the long read now!

    I came across this site by googling calf strengthening exercises while being NWB for 5 weeks on my right foot. I am 10 days post-op from having my tibial sesamoid removed, there was also quite a bit of scar tissue as well.

    With that, I’ll tell you how I came to having it removed: First of I am 43 years old and an RN, so I am on my feet a lot. I have been a nurse for over 10 years now. I was on dance team for several years in high school. We practiced in ballet shoes; marching–for parades, and drill marching (anyone in the military will know what this is), kick lines, you name it. We also wore them in all of our dance competitions as well. I didn’t have to many problems at the time, my feet would hurt occasionally, but nothing alarming.

    I also did a lot of walking, everywhere, lol. As I got older, I had jobs where I was always on my feet; housekeeper, cashier, and now nurse. For about 10 years, I did not have a vehicle, so I would walk many miles back and for the some of these jobs, and my feet would kill me at the end of the day!! I took up running about 10 years ago, and that is when I really noticed the pain ever increasing in my right foot. One day after running my who foot around by the arch, achilles and top became very swollen. I remember going to work and people asking if I had an ace on my foot, nope, it was my foot that was very swollen. So, I went to a ortho Dr. and they told me I had tendonitis in my foot, they put me in a boot, and that was it. Well, it went down, and that is when I decided to go to a running shoe place and they videotaped the back of my feet while running. I found I severely over-pronate, they sold me some shoes for it, and everything seemed to be better. Now I am a big fan of sandals and being barefoot at home, and at the time I didn’t have too many problems when not running. I took a trip to Disneyland in 2009, and my sesamoid area was bigger than I had ever seen it before. Everybody seemed to think it was a bunion, I told them it wasn’t, it eventually went down with rest and didn’t bug me again for awhile.

    In 2012 I got a dog and would take him for 5 mile walks, this is when I really began to notice the pain in my sesamoid on my right foot a lot. Iwould put KT tape on, which would help me make it home without being in excruciating pain, but the pain would never leave, Nobody I saw could tell me what it was, so yes, I began doing google searches. I ending up finding the forums on the runner’s world website. Somebody else had the same problem and it was sesamoiditis, I saw it and said, yes, this is it!!!!. So, to deal with it I bought expensive running shoes, tried dancer’s pads, everything to no avail.

    Fast forward to about a year ago, I started adjusting my gait, I started walking on the outside of my foot, which then caused that part of my foot to hurt, along with my knee and hip. So I went to my main PCP, who didn’t know what it was, I did have to spell it for her, lol, to get my referral to an podiatry/ortho surgeon. I work in the OR, and I was talking about it one day and the foot surgeon that day said he could take care of it. Anyway, I finally got an x-ray of it, it showed an old chronic stress fracture, the tibial sesamoid had very noticeable crack right through the middle of it horizontally. I also had an MRI, the sesamoid is supposed to be round and smooth, mine was rough and abraded. How I walked on it all those years, is beyond me, all I can think is, I’m a single mom who had to do what I had to do to support my son. And if that meant being in pain, well, I had to find a way to deal with it.

    I also spoke with one of my co-workers, who has a masters in sports medicine, look at the bottom of my feet, and he told me I probably shouldn’t even go barefoot at home anymore. The surprising thing was, that out of most of my RN co-workers, he is the only one who knew what the sesamoids were, lol.

    So, I hope this helps anyone who takes the time to read this post. I also posted about this on my FB account to anyone who does dance, over-pronates, or has high arches. I have never liked high-heels because I always felt unstable on them because I never felt like I had enough support in them. I felt more comfortable in wider, wedge type high heels.

    So, I did make the decision to have it removed, that was on Dec. 20th, 10 days ago. My surgeon also said there was quite a bit of scar tissue which makes him pretty sure this was an old injury. My right calf has atrophied to my dismay. I have always had nice muscular calves. I can’t even connect my middle fingers when I put my hand around my calves. Except for now, my right calf has atrophied so much that I cannot only touch my middle fingers, but it overlaps some, it is quite shocking to me, and makes me sad. My post-op appt is on Thursday and I will have my stitches removed. But I am NWB until the end of January, not to mention the crutches are killing me! 🙂 I thank you for putting this page here and putting up exercises, I am hoping this helps the atrophy in my calf, and if there is anything else you can give me advice on on how to get my muscle back, I would be much appreciative. I will update on here too when I am able to bear weight again, and when I am back at full duty working again.

    I made the decision to have surgery because I could not stand the pain anymore after trying everything!!

    1. Hi and THANK YOU for taking the time to share your story!! You have been through so much and I can’t imagine the challenges that you’ve faced. I hope you’ve found blessings behind all of the tough stuff – I know I have for sure, namely connecting to strong people like you <3 Please keep me posted on your healing progress post surgery! I just launched my FULL Hurt Foot Fitness Coaching course with hundreds of workouts to help you stay in shape while you heal - Id love to invite you to be the first to try it out! Its my LIBRARY of content that Ive used to stay fit, sane, and positive. https://caroline-jordan-fitness.teachable.com/p/hurt-foot-fitness-coaching-program Let me know what you think! I am sending you LOVE and positive energy for healing. Thank you thank you for sharing your story – hope your foot heals up soon and until then, Ill do some non-weight bearing workouts with you <3

  23. I have had a chronic stress fracture on my tibial sesamoid for 6 years. Nothing has helped me, not any boots or orthodics either. I have seen different doctors around the world and spent thousands of dollars on tests, scans and seeking different opinions. My very last visit was to the UK.

    I have 4 choices:

    1. Not operate
    2. Bone graft surgery
    3. Open surgery to place a screw and to bone graft the two fragments back together
    4. Percutaneous screw fixation of the sesamoid
    5. Remove sesamoid

    1. If I wasn’t an active individual and didn’t mind living in bit of pain I would go for this option. Surgery is definitely not something I would opt for at first hand. In my situation I can load the sesamoid with weight and probably not worsen it’s condition, however I want to get back into active running.

    2. I have read some articles about this being done before. However in my situation just grafting the bone wouldn’t be enough, my doctors thinks it needs a pin to hold the bone together. The graft itself can’t keep the bone together?

    3. This a much more invasive surgery together with the bone grafting. Meaning bone material will be moved from another place and put together with the screw in the sesamoid. Also the jagged edges of the fracture would be shaven off to make the bone think the fracture is acute. This could be an option but I am personally leaning on option 4.

    4. The most minimally invasive surgery option so far. Smaller risk in damaging the nearby nerves and tendons. A very small wound and within 6 months I should be able to tell if the surgery has worked. If I understood the procedure correctly there will be holes drilled through the bone to allow blood flow into the gap to promote healing and finally a screw would be inserted through the bone. My surgeon has performed this operation 40 times with two patients having not favourable outcomes. If this operation fails, the sesamoid will be removed. This is what happened with one of the patients. If anyone is curious this surgery will cost me 6500 british pounds.

    5. Removing the sesamoid or just the smaller half. Why not? But would it be better to try to keep the bone and worse come to worse then remove it?

    When all conservative methods have failed, I am opting for surgery. There is and may be techniques or treatments I haven’t tried yet for example bone stimulation or injections. At this point I see surgery as the only option, my patience is running short and I want my active life back.

    If anyone wants to hear how my recovery goes I can post an update here later. Or you can email me at [email protected]. I will likely have my surgery in the start of April 2018. Stay strong you guys and take care of your feet. Sesamoids are a pain in the ass..

  24. Hi there, all the way from Nairobi, Kenya. I like being active all day and I recently broke my pinkie toe. Am grateful that my injury is not as serious as others I have seen here. My doctor advised that I have a cast for 6 weeks since it was the second time I was breaking the same toe. After being immobile for 2 weeks and almost pulling my hair out I stumbled upon your hurt foot workouts on YouTube and they gave me life!!!!

    God bless you for sending out positivity, love and healing to people who are injured.

  25. Hi there! Love this so much! I’m a professional dancer I moved to the states to forfil my dreams. My visa only allows me to dance here for work and I’ve had sesamoiditis since September with little improvement. Much better walking in the orthotics I had made. I tried light laser my podiatrist recommended, I think it helped a little. I was told in the states it was a fracture but my MRI in the UK showed sesamoiditis only luckily. I’ve been stressed as I left my whole life in the UK to pursue something I’m struggling to do right now. I’m trying to stay positive. Should I be icing? I have been once a day and use ibuprofen gel. I only just started strapping my foot as I understand what you mean about the toe, even sometimes my bed sheets irritate it! I bought New balance shoes. All my work is in high heels. Im looking into anti inflammatory foods did you try anything like that? I wanted to look into stem cell therapy as I know it’s used for other foot injuries. Do you know any cilents who have thought about it also?

    1. Wow lots of great questions Suzanna! I will answer all of these in a YouTube video as Im sure many of my HFF peeps would love to know also! Stay tuned…. 🙂

  26. I’m new to all this. Two weeks ago, I had some sesamoid pain for the first time. Lasted about 3 days. Then 4 days ago, it started hurting again. I can’t put any wait on it without severe pain. Tylenol does seem to help and I have a lightweight pair of NorthFace winter boots that are flat and make my foot feel better. I’ve been wearing those as much as possible, even in my house. At what point do people typically go to the doctor for this? Do you think I should wait it out a bit and see if it goes away on its own? I watched your videos (super helpful, thank you!) so I now know what activities to avoid.

    1. personally I would go to the podiatrist – just to be 100% positive what my specific body was dealing with – but its totally your call! You are the CEO of your body and health 🙂

  27. Hello Caroline,

    Thank you so much for sharing!!! I recently fell and injured my sesamoid. I enjoyed your positiveness, your joy, love, and of course your exercise videos with modifications for the ugly boot LOL. I truly appreciate your videos. I had wondered if this was going to make me gain weight because of the limitation of my foot. Thanks to you, I have hope of NOT gaining weight through this journey of mine…..again mil gracias

  28. Thanks for your wonderful sharing. I have to admit I’m so very confused. I have sesamoiditis despite not being a dancer or being able to identify an injury at any point in my 49yr old life. I’ve always been active but my preferred exercise has been cycling or swimming rather than weight bearing which always ends in pain (except pilates which I do weekly) I’ve just had worsening chronic pain for the last 20 years., and I think its particularly bad now we have a house with floorboards instead of carpet. I’ve tried that awful ultrasound whatnot, anti-inflammatory meds, cut out dancer pads, multiple orthotics (soft and hard, full and half, made by podiatrists, made by orthotists……) I’ve worn Hokas, clogs, runners, flat shoes, stiff shoes, bendy shoes…. I’m currently trying Lems flat and very flexible shoes with correct toes . The correct toes are really good when I’m walking around the house. But I can’t go to work bare foot! As it is I look really bizarre and out of place at work because of my footwear.
    I’ve spent soooo much money on this problem, and I still have no idea what I should be doing! Has anyone had joy with the correct toes and bendy shoes? Or should I go back to Hoka and oaths even tho they don’t work either? Maybe I should alternate? Arghhhhhhh!!!!!

  29. I just found out yesterday I have sesamoiditis in my left foot. Was bummed to hear no exercising for 4 weeks while in the boot, but so glad I found your workout routines! Cant wait to try it out tonight!
    Thank You!!!

  30. Hi Caroline!

    I found your channel while looking for a workout after falling down stairs and deeply bruising my heel. It has been two weeks today, and I have already done three of your injury workouts- thank you so much!! For not only the awesome burn but also the positive, joyful light that you radiate!!

    It’s comforting to hear your story of injury and see that you were very much able to stay in shape.
    I am wondering, did you modify your diet while injured? I am worried about eating too much since I am not able to be as physical as I was on two legs (not only in workouts, but simply running errands and walking to and from places).
    Some guidance in this area would be much appreciated!
    Thank you,
    Zoe

  31. Hi Caroline! I just found your channel, yay! I had sesamoiditis years ago and healed it. I do barre classes which are fairly safe except for maybe when we go on the ball of the foot. I have had no trouble with it until recently. I went and did an advanced class this last Saturday and used padding to go up on the ball because it has been tweaking and it hurt. I didn’t think anything of it, put on my Uggs and went about the rest of my day. I woke up the next day in a lot of pain. I could barely walk. I have a moon boot and used it but it actually seemed to make things worse. I saw my podiatrist Tuesday, She X-rayed my foot and nothing showed up, but she said a fracture would only show up on an MRI. She treats fractures and “itis” the same by totally off loading the foot. I have been using crutches and will be getting a roller aid. The pain isn’t as much,but swelling is still there. I’m feeling upset and scared because barre is my favorite exercise together my endorphins up plus I have a community of friends there. Any advice on what more I can do to help with the healing? I’ve been icing and taking ibuprofen, and elevating, but it doesn’t seem to help. I’m feeling really discouraged. 🙁

  32. Hi Caroline,

    I am in two walking boots for stress fractures in my sesamoids. I work as a teacher and it is extremely stressful. Do you think I can heal being on my feet so much? What are you thoughts about two walking boots and having both of my ankles immobilized? I’m concerned about knee, hip, back problems and stiff ankles. Did you end up using customer orthotics or stock insoles with altras after you healed? I’ve read low drop shoes and wide toe boxes are healthy for feet.

    I’m looking into second opinion and making thinking MRI. I was an athlete for years, hockey, soccer, running, and traveled the world a lot. My feet took a beating. Any info is appreciated.

  33. Thank you!!!!!!!! The area at the ball of my foot was hurting for about 5 weeks. I figured it was soft tissue. I did epsom salt soaks, NSAIDS, ice. Kept hurting so I went to our podiatrist on Tuesday. I have a broken sesamoid bone. Into a boot I went. The plan I was given was 6 weeks in the boot, ice, topical NSAID ointment and re-X-ray in 6 weeks. Everything I’m reading is so disappointing. Your article has given me hope and material to pass on to my podiatrist and GP. I can’t thank you enough. Going to be following your strength plan. I was just getting back into exercise after a long sideline as it was. This just really knocked the wind out of me.

  34. Really happy I found this article! I was searching for physical activity solutions and really like the seimming suggestion. I hope to swim as much as you in combination with pillates mat work that strengthens core without putting too much pressure on ball of foot. Also, my podiatrist recommended the Asics GT 2000 running shoe because it has a stabilizing arch bridge and a foreward rocking front. I bought the wide option as the shoes are fairly narrow.

  35. Really happy I found this article! I was searching for physical activity solutions and really like the swimming suggestion. I hope to swim as much as you in combination with pillates mat work that strengthens core without putting too much pressure on ball of foot. Also, my podiatrist recommended the Asics GT 2000 running shoe because it has a stabilizing arch bridge and a foreward rocking front. I bought the wide option as the shoes are fairly narrow.

  36. Caroline,

    I am also a person living in San Francisco, dealing with a sesamoid injury. You mentioned in your post that you worked with a Physical Therapist at San Francisco Crossfit, who knew how to help people heal from Sesamoid Injuries. Would you mind connecting me to them, or letting me know how to find them?

    Thank you for your super informative post!

  37. Thank you for this post. I am dealing with the same issue. ART (Assisted Release Technique) therapy is helping a lot but it’s very slow progress.

    Can you send a picture of what the orthotic with the cutout looked like? I’m going to try this next.

  38. This gives me so much hope! I’m 3.5 months into my injury and am still walking gingerly but I know I can’t limp for too long or it will throw my whole body off. Reading all of this makes me realize I need to slow down, exercise and be patient through this healing process. How do you find a sesamoid specialist? I’ve been seeing an Ortho PA that is not helping very much. This has given me more information than ever!! Thank you all for sharing!

    1. Hi Nikia!! Finding the right doctor to work with takes trial and error – its kind of a lottery really – keep exploring and asking as many questions as you can until you find someone you trust to work with! Have you thought about joining my comprehensive online Hurt Foot Fitness coaching course: https://caroline-jordan-fitness.teachable.com/p/hurt-foot-fitness-coaching-program ??? It has a library of currated content for you for healing (among MANY other workouts, exercises, and fun fitness adventures). Check it out! If you are healing from a Sesamoid …. you’ve got some time to explore healing other parts of your health 🙂 Plus there are a lot of other students in the program and the support community that are healing from Sesamoid injuries – they share their experiences, tips, and support in our private online community!

  39. Oh my gosh I am so glad I’ve found you! I haven’t had time to watch all of your videos yet (just the one at the top), but it’s soooo reassuring to find someone with a similar situation. I went to doc #1 in September, convinced that I had sesamoiditis, but she was very insistent that in fact I had plantar fasciitis and needed to wear heel lifts and do plantar fasciitis stretches for 6 months. Needless to say that made everything worse, and when I saw doc #2 in April, they x-rates me and told me that I have a fractured sesamoid (the inner one). I’ve been in a boot ever since, but was given no instructions to stop walking (in fact, when I explained how much I have to walk on campus for work, my doc said that was fine as long as I am in the boot. I teach, so I am on my feet 3-4 hours in the classroom after I have walked across campus. I also commute 40 min each way, which I have to do without the boot, because there’s no public transportation and I have no one to drive me. I am however wearing the shoes you recommended when I drive, as that’s what doc 2 recommended. My foot still hurts, and now I have developed all sorts of pains in my OTHER foot, including in the sesamoid area. My next appointment is Monday, so I was hoping you could answer some questions for me before I go back. Did you have problems with your other foot from extended boot wear? When you say offloading weight from the toe, do you just mean by wearing the boot, or did you substantially cut down on even walking altogether? Thank you!

  40. I have a seismoid injury that my doctor said was just referred pain because I also have capsulitis and Morton’s Neuroma. Fun! I’ve been trying to recover for 1 year. Doing your workouts have been great. But I’m not improving at all. Not one bit. Been in a boot and a cast. Crutches and a knee scooter. Swimming 4 days a week and I’m just not seeing any improvement. At least I see hope in others that have gone through this. Thanks for all your advice.

    1. Hello Myn:

      I too have a sesamoid injury and nothing worked until I found an ART (Assisted Release Technique) person that could do this type of technique. He is a chiropractor. After about 12 sessions with him I am almost out of the woods. Now I am following up with acupuncture. I am back to running 3 days per week. 🙂

      I would highly recommend that you try to find this type of practitioner near where you live.

      Good luck.

      Kate

  41. I’m very frustrated. I’ve had the pain and everything for months now. Saw my podiatrist. She did xrays and let me know I either fractured my outer sesamoid (Right foot) or its bipartite. Put me in a walking boot for 6 weeks and told me to come see her at the end of 6 weeks. No restrictions otherwise. I work at our hospital in registration so I’m on my feet all day long. The original date seeing her was March 3rd. I wore the boot for the 6 weeks, went back and saw her, the swelling was down since I’d been in the boot of course, so she told me to resume my normal activities.
    So here I am today, back in my boot having stepped off my step stool (10″) onto that spot on my foot and its crazy angry now. Swollen, red, painful and throbbing. Now that I’m reading more on the injury, diagnostics etc, I feel more should have been said/done at the original appointment. I’m concerned about bone necrosis, inability to heal at all due to my job, proper diagnostics, all sorts of stuff. But I’m in Alaska, and my choice of doctors and care are very limited.
    I’m going to be reading and watching everything on your site to see if I can start fixing this myself.
    Thank you for your help and any thoughts would be much appreciated!

    1. Hi Cristie! I Im so happy you commented and Im sorry to hear of about your Sesamoid! You have been through quite the challenges – I admire your strength <3 Im happy it brought us together! Have you considered joining my Hurt Foot Fitness course course while you heal?? ! Im positive that the online HFF course would be powerful for you. It goes way above and beyond everything my free online content does - its an in depth lifestyle program to help you in healing. Not only that, but I continue building more information and videos into the course to make it an online, virtual home for Hurt Foot Fitness content. Meaning once you have access, you have access for LIFE and will be able to use all of the content moving forward. I will be uploading more videos (exclusively for free to Hurt Foot Fitness coaching program students - sold for rental everywhere else) and more workouts, recipes, mindfulness exercises etc. And this is just the beginning. We get to grow within this course together and its so exciting to share this program with you. If you are healing from a Sesamoid injury.... it takes a LONG time - so this course would allow you to find ways to stay fit, stay positive, and connect to a support group that can help cheer you on when the going gets tough. There are a lot of other Sesamoids in the group with us. You can of course learn more here: https://caroline-jordan-fitness.teachable.com/p/hurt-foot-fitness-coaching-program

      If you feel its right for you, Id love to support you through the Hurt Foot Fitness course. Let me know if you have any additional questions and hope to see you along on your recovery journey!

      1. I wish I could! I’m unable to afford any extra expenses at this time due to home owner expenses around $12,000. I’m still trying to catch up my bills. I can’t even take time off work for this stupid thing to heal.
        Just beyond frustrating.

        1. Thank you for all of the wonderful information and advice! My 10 year old daughter is a gymnast and just injured her sesamoid (first doctor has said fracture) and we are getting a second opinion with a doctor that has more experience with sesamoid injuries. Lots of encouraging words- for all of us! Thank you!

  42. Thanks so much for all the advice. Where can you get cut out orthotics? Can you do this yourself?

  43. hi! Thanks for all this information. I now understand that this is going to take a LONG time to heal. With the beautiful weather coming up, it is going to be super tough for me. My doctor told me that I would not be able to run from anywhere from 6 months to maybe over a year. I refuse to get surgery. He said that once the injury heels, it heels at 100%, it just depends at what point. Some days I am super positive and other days-I start thinking that I will never run again.

    I have been dealing with this injury for over a month now-sesamoid fracture. Maybe only 3 weeks in true “recovery”. However, I am wondering if I am doing too much too soon. My Dr. told me that I could swim and bike? I am in a boot, so I just take my boot off before getting into the pool. I am thinking maybe I should lay off it for a solid few weeks-although I say this, I am not sure I can mentally handle that lol. I am wondering how long you waited before cycling and swimming??-it does not hurt while I am swimming or cycling. When it does, I stop. I also am wondering when you were able to start walking around-even more so, walking as exercise? I am thinking that running is going to be the LAST thing I am eventually going to get back to, but what about hiking? I plan on going camping a few times this fall-am I going to be able to walk around in nature (I imagine with orthotics and good shoes maybe?) or do I just have false hopes?

    I go back on the 20th for another x-ray. Of course, not to see if it is better, but more to make sure it is not worse. I think I will be in the boot for another month after this. I am using a bone simulator although there are mix reviews on the findings behind them. I also eat as healthy as possible. like absurd number of greens and fruits, anything anti-inflammatory or for bones, collagen, glucosamine, vitamin D. I am willing to try just about anything and everything. I guess my question is after you finally got the proper answer about your injury-what was the process as far as getting back into your movement? when could you start doing other things-like the stairmaster, walking, etc. I would love to hear from anyone that has recovered and returned to running after this injury. My doctor feels strongly that I will be running again and can even train for another marathon, just not within the next year.

    I am going to checkout all your recipes and workouts. I know that you cannot give me a timeline because for everyone it is different, but from experience-how long did it take to get on a dang treadmill again or go for a walk. and also any like SUPER POSITIVE healing stories that I cannot seem to find online!

  44. Thank you for the video. Very helpful and encouraging especially the bit where you said don’t set yourself a timeline for recovery. It was very discouraging to read on internet that sesamoid injury takes 4-8 weeks to heal which is complete bollocks.

    I’ve a tiny request if that’s ok. What does your cut-out orthodics look like? I am trying to show that to my physio to get one done. Again thank you very much. You’ve made a huge difference to a lot of sufferers out there.

  45. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I was just diagnosed with sesamoiditis today. I was feeling pretty bummed because I wasn’t going to be able to take my barre classes or do my hiit workouts for a while. Your workout video really gave me some ideas of ways I can stay active without delaying my healing.

  46. Hi, I,ve just been diagnosed with comminuted undisplaced fracture of the medial sesamoid. The problem is I am a tennis coach. I had 2 weeks off during the school holidays, had some physio, had plenty of rest and iced a lot of ice and I’m about to see a podiatrist. Pain has reduced and I can walk but standing long periods of time on the tennis court means that at times I feel pain. How am I supposed to beat this thing and do my job.

  47. Further to my previous post ( just above ) last night I went to my podiatrist and he looked at my x Rays and ct scans and examined my foot and he had a different take on the foot. He didn’t believe the sesamoid was fractured but instead that I had sesamoiditis. So I have a pad underneath the foot and getting new orthodics. With this contradictory scenario all I can do is see how it heals and behaves and continue to strengthen the core and glutes and stretch the calf muscles. Anyone shed dike light on my 2 posts.

  48. I am going through this right now and I just wanted to say thank you so much for the suggestions. You don’t even know how much it means to me because when I search for help online, the results are definitely traumatizing and scared me so much. Your page gave me hope and I hope you know you are doing an amazing thing by posting this!

  49. Hi! I just went for an X ray and was informed that I have a big split down my sesamoid bone. I am going for an MRI and they are talking about either a boot or surgery. The surgery would remove the bone completely. Would you recommend this surgery? I have heard mixed feelings about this surgery and just wanted to get your opinion!

    Thank You!

  50. Hi, Here’s my story. For Jan and Feb 2018 I was spending up to 4 min on planking barefoot and doing pushups on my toes- working up to 50. I had also been running for a few weeks, just 30min 3 times a week, so not much. I rarely wear high heels but am a flexible person. The day before my injury, I had pain at the base of my big toe when curling my big toe on my R foot. The next day I went for a 30min run and 4 hours after the run couldn’t bear weight on my R foot because it hurt so much. It calmed down the next day so I did a 2 mile walk and again had pain in the evening and couldn’t bear weight. I stopped all walking/running for 1 month but had no improvement- because I kept doing planks (I had no pain while doing them) stupidly. Xrays were normal in April. Started using a carbon fiber plate in R shoe because ortho thought I had turf toe which helped a little but not much. Saw another orthopedic foot surgeon in Nov 2018 who gave me a steroid injection-which didn’t help. He thought I had hallux rigidis- arthritis of the big toe joint, 1st MTP= metatarsophalangeal joint. Finally saw another podiatrist, Richard Blake who is great, in June 2019, 1 yr 3 mo after the pain started, and had an MRI which showed sesamoiditis and inflammation of the 1st MTP. He is having me spica tape the big toe joint which helps a lot with the pain-anyone else done this? It seems like simultaneous inflammation of the 1st MTP joint is rare- anyone else have this?
    I’m wondering Caroline- why you wear sneakers at home and not just flip flops since they would provide padding too? That’s what I’m doing but am wondering if there is a reason sneakers are better.

  51. Thanks Caroline, I have been dealing with Sesamoiditis for 8 months and it can be so hopeless. The doctors don’t seem to understand the problem and emotional toll! Thank you for being here and encouraging us!

    1. Hi Lyn! I know exactly HOW to help you heal – these blogs are SO old, There is SO much updated knowledge and information I have to offer my coaching clients. Im Sorry to hear about your sesamoid injury – recovery is long and challenging, but Im confident that with the right support, a strong mindset and healthy training habits you’ll get there. And now as a coach on the other side of that process, Ive turned my work into helping others through the healing process. I would love to support you in anyway I can and Im so happy that the internet allowed us to meet. If you want the step by step guide on HOW to get over Sesamoiditis for GOOD, please reach out to [email protected] I can help.

      1. Hi Caroline! I fractured my L sesamoid and am on my 6th week of the healing/offload phase. I have been doing your workouts for the past week and a half and I CAN’T THANK YOU ENOUGH for these! Has been great for my sanity lol. I plan to start swimming soon as my doctor sees fit. Right now doing your workouts, push-ups and abs. The struggle is real but totally appreciate your positivity!

        Marysue

  52. Thank you for this site. I had a Haglund’s deformity removed and also calcification from the Achilles tendon and then it was reattached. When I was about ready to start physical therapy, our hired nurse was washing my foot, but it was done too roughly. I have rather small feet. I had not been exercising my left foot yet as I was using a knee scooter and I had my foot in a boot that went to the knee. She put her fingers between my big toe and the next one with the wash cloth and twisted my big toe. I felt a tear as she did that and after that it felt like there was a division between the big toe and the second one and like a thong was pressing on it. I had a bruise on the big toe the next day when I went to the doctor. The nurse did not tell the doctor that I had a bruise on it, but I did not know it at the time. I was hoping that it would be X Rayed again, but it was not. The doctor did not even get close enough or did not look at my whole foot. He said that he would call physical therapy to set up an appointment. Our infirmarian was with me and I told her that it was bruised and that I did not know if the nurse told him that it was bruised after he left. He left without saying “Good-bye” and I wanted him to come back. I had told the infirmarian that my big toe was not right and that it felt like there was a division between the big toe and the 2nd one. I also told the physical therapist more than once that it hurt there and that my foot was too swollen. A couple of weeks later, I had great pain in my foot after physical therapy. I think it had too much exercise that day, especially after I was at one of my brother’s funeral the day before and walked at the cemetery. I had an X ray the next day that showed a tibial sesamoid fracture. I was not told which one it was though. I finally found out weeks later. That X Ray was on Sep. 24 and I also had an X Ray on Oct. 19, and then finally had an MRI on Oct. 26. It did not show any sign of fracture anymore and also did not show tears in ligament or tendons. It did show mild hallux sesamoid and 1st metatarsophalangeal joint osteoarthritis and mild subchondral edema, minimal effusion 1st metatarsophalangeal joint. a small amount of fluid within the 1st intermetatarsal bursa, thickening of the visualized proximal aspect the plantar aponeurosis consistent with plantar fasciitis without a significant tear, a small amount of fluid surrounding the medial ankle tendons without a tear, a small amount of fluid surrounding the peroneal tendons which otherwise appear intact, possible mild tnosynovitis, moderate subcutaneous edema over the dorsum of the forefoot, milder more diffuse edema over the midfoot or forefoot, muscles of the midfoot and forefoot near mildly diffusely atrophic. I have many kinds of pain in my foot now.

  53. Thanks so much, Caroline. I just wanted to mention, for the sake of readers that might be like me, that for some people with sesamoiditis being barefoot is best. For me, walking barefoot and using minimalist non-supportive shoes with a wide toe box is what finally reduced my inflammation from sesamoiditis.

    I slowly reintroduced regular shoes after wearing an orthopedic boot for two months. I tried Altras as you suggest here, but quickly discovered that shoes with a toe spring (the Altras have one) hurt my foot further by keeping my toes in a perpetual extended position. This position concentrates weight on the sesamoid. In fact, toe extension is exactly how I got my injury, and it’s also exactly the position I was avoiding as my foot healed (e.g. I wasn’t doing burpees anymore). I also found that cushion, heels of any height, tight toe boxes, and rigid soles all hurt as well. But I noticed that when I spent my day barefoot or in barefoot sandals, there was hardly any pain. I could walk 3 miles before my foot started to bother me. I guess everyone’s injury is different. I just wanted to note that for some, barefoot might be just what they need.

  54. Hello Caroline, and anyone else reading this who may be able to help us. Our daughter is a competitive Open Champion Irish Dancer. She is 5 time World Qualified and just turned 15 in December. Her last competition was last July 2021, our US Nationals, where she danced on a fractured medial sesamoid bone in her left foot, and ended up placing 11th in the nation. This again, qualified her for the World Championships this April ’22 in Belfast, Ireland (granted it’s not cancelled due to ongoing pandemic surges). She has her heart set on going. She started dancing at age 4.5 and though she has been lucky with not much injury in an intense form of dance, this repetitive impact fracture of the sesamoid bone has thrown her off her game for the last 6 months. She is not ready to retire. She was at the top of her game, when the pain took her down. She started dancing again in Sept. for a brief period and the pain returned. She laid off for another 3 months, missing our US Western Regionals (another qualifying event). She began again in December, with no pain, but tonight some pain has returned. The thought of this injury derailing her career in Irish Dance is pretty traumatizing to her psyche. Options given to us were surgery (as a last resort….because recovery time would really take her out), cortisone injection before Majors or live (and try to manage) this chronic pain. As her mother I am terrified she will jeopardize her chances of doing anything else physical that she loves. And she is VERY. ACTIVE. She is a fast runner, Cross Country and Track, and has developed an interest in playing LaCrosse. She has always been self driven to work out on her own, as well. She is a petite powerhouse. I am relieved she has other interests, in case her Irish Dance career is cut short, however dance is her passion, her identity. She was seeing a Podiatrist/sports medicine doctor who felt a bit defeated with her case, as dance isn’t his area of expertise. He wasn’t able to refer us to anyone, so we are desperately looking for recommendations of a specialist for her. We live in the North Bay, one hour from San Francisco, Ca. Is there anything that can be done for a dancer to manage the pain? They wear hard shoes (think Riverdance) with fiber glass tips, and the dance steps are fast intricate footwork with intense pounding. They also wear soft shoes (ghillies) which are more balletic and they are up as high on their toes as possible, jumping, leaping, etc… Is there any hope for our daughter to continue what she loves most? Any advice would be so much appreciated. She has been in a very dark place emotionally and she is generally a very positive, resilient girl. This wasn’t the complete story of what happened over the last 6 months (there was a secondary injury, metatarsalgia on the outside edge of her foot, probably due to overcompensating for the fracture under the ball of her big toe) but this covers the main issue. Thank you in advance for any hope you can give us.

  55. Going on 6 months after my sesamoid area felt “sore”…at the 10 week mark I went to a doctor who gave me orthotics to wet for 2 weeks, it wasn’t helping so I was put in a boot for 4 weeks. I mainly existed on the couch outside of necessary movement…then the pain improved for a couple weeks after out of the boots while I awaited my custom orthotics to be made. That’s when things went downhill for me and it’s been a nightmare since. I was told to get zero drop shoes. I got the Altra Paradigm 6, super cushiony, but it’s a stability show with guide rails…and that combined will an I’ll fitting custom orthotic led to me injuring the later side of my foot (5th metatarsal bursitis). I am on my 3rd remake of trh customnorthotics in the past 8-10 weeks. Still have pain on both sides of my foot, but the lateral foot pain is the worst. I cannot find shoes to fit comfortably. I need wider in the mid-foot but an arrow heal, a stiff sole, and a low heel drop. Ha! Try finding such a shoe…it doesn’t seem to exist. Any suggestions on footwear are great appreciatied. Oh and I am a dance fitness and yoga instructor and haven’t been able to teach for the past 4 months and the grief and frustration I have experienced are huge! At this point I would be happy to be able walk my dogs for exercise and I cannot even do that without aggravating the pain and swelling in my foot. Seeking a 2nd doctor opinion next week.

    1. Im so sorry to hear about everything you are going through Laura. I have healed well and now coach clients virtually all over the world and to help them heal successfully from Sesamoid injuries. Reach out to me at [email protected] if I can be of service to you in your journey!

    2. I broke my sesamoid- I guess, 3+ years ago. It was devastating. I was training for the New York Marathon. I really thought I would never get better or be able to run again-which, for me, I don’t know if I could honestly make it through life without running! I did the whole bone stimulator thing, wore a boot etc. One day my boss said, your bone should be healed – you need to go see this doctor. (I’ve made the mistake of wearing a boot or cast for too long before) He was a manual therapist (kind of like an airosti in a way), anyways, he rubbed out my calf and my foot and suddenly, my seasmoid stopped hurting. I went back for a few weeks. My bone was healed, but all the muscles going into my foot were all messed up (mainly the calf). I run, almost daily again-on pavement. I feel my sesamoid sometimes when running, but nothing super painful-just a bit of an aggravation. I wear hokas. I cycled the entire time I was injured – sometimes wearing my boot. I don’t wear heals like I used to, but if it is a formal occasion, I can wear block heals or platforms. About to sign up for a half marathon. and then eventually will try for New York again! Still one of the most devastating injuries – because I do feel it when running – I guess it will just be my constant reminder of how lucky I am to be able to run. I would not do surgery for this – just takes a bit of time. I was back to running 7 miles within a year though- honestly because of this manual therapist.

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