J shaped dancer foot pads for sesamoiditis are designed to offload the ball of the foot where the sesamoids are located. These sesamoid pads are also called dancer’s pads can be made of felt, foam or gel. Sesamoid pads have been used by doctors in their practice for over a hundred years, so you know they are useful.
So what are sesamoid bones in the foot? Most bones are connected to each other at joints. There are a few bones in the body that are not connected to any other bone. They are connected only to tendons or are embedded in muscle. These are called sesamoids. The patella is the largest sesamoid bone in the body. Two other very small sesamoids (about the size of a pea) are found in the underside of the ball of the foot, near the big toe.
Foot sesamoids act like a pulley system. The sesamoids allow a smooth surface over which the tendons move. Like other bones, sesamoids can break (fracture). Additionally, the tendons surrounding the sesamoids can become irritated or inflamed. This is called sesamoiditis and is a form of tendinitis. It is common among ballet dancers (hence the name Dancer’s Pads), runners and baseball catchers.
One of the most common ways to treat sesamoiditis is with a j shaped dancer’s footpad. These sesamoid / dancer pads allow weight bearing on the ball of the foot while offloading pressure on the sesamoids. One can apply the sesamoid pad directly to the skin or they can adhere to the shoe. Most physicians prefer to apply them directly to the foot as this allows 24/7 offloading of the sesamoiditis. The two most common materials used to produce a sesamoid cushion is felt and foam dancer's pad foot. This offloading of the j shaped pads for sesamoiditis allows the foot to heal faster.
Teri Green
Atlas Biomechanics
