Atlas Biomechanics : Sesamoiditis Treated With Dancer's Pads

Atlas Biomechanics : Sesamoiditis Treated With Dancer's Pads: Sesamoiditis is foot condition where the small bones under the big toe joint become inflamed. This can occur from an injury, overuse and poo...

Atlas Biomechanics : Sesamoiditis Treated Conservatively with Dancer's ...

Atlas Biomechanics : Sesamoiditis Treated Conservatively with Dancer's ...: Sesamoiditis is a painful foot condition on the bottom of the big toe joint. It occurs when the two pea-shaped bones called sesamoids and th...

Sesamoiditis Treated with Dancer's Pads

Sesamoiditis is a painful foot condition on the bottom of the big toe joint. It occurs when the two pea-shaped foot bones called sesamoids and the surrounding tissue becomes inflamed. Sesamoiditis can occur from several methods. Some common causes are from trauma, overpronation, arthritis, ill-fitting shoes and overuse. Dancers, especially ballet dancers commonly get sesamoiditis from their use of the ball of the foot.

Conservative treatment of sesamoiditis includes physical therapy, ice, rest, anti-inflammatory medication and dancer's pads. Dancer's pads are foot pads designed to offload the big toe joint ( 1st MPJ). This will allow stress off the sesamoid to speed up the healing. Dancers pads for sesamoiditis are a ball of foot pads with the big toe joint cut out. These pads can be manufactured from stick-on adhesive felt or foam. Another type of dancer's pads is produced from a self-sticking reusable gel. Most of the time physicians will apply the foot cushion directly to the skin. The pads can be changed daily. Another option is to stick the dancer's/sesamoid pad to the insole of the shoe. This cushion does not need to be changed since it is already in the shoe.



Atlas Biomechanics is a woman-owned sports medical manufacturer of dancers pads for sesamoiditis. The most popular foot pad among our physician clients to treat the sesamoids is our felt 1/4" dancers/sesamoid pads.

Teri Green
Atlas Biomechanics

Sesamoiditis Treated With Dancers Pads

Sesamoiditis is a medical condition when the foot's sesamoid bones become inflamed.  The sesamoid bones and the surrounding tissues can also become painful. When a patient as sesamoiditis, this pain is felt under the big toe joint (first metatarsal joint). Sesamoiditis can be easily treated with stick-on foot pads called Dancer's Pads.

The sesamoid bones are two free-floating pea-shaped bones lying on the bottom of the first metatarsal head. They help the big toe joint to bend and assist with walking ( gait ). They act like a pulley system with the big toe flexor tendon.

Dancer's cushions are also called dancer, sesamoid pads or dancers pads. They are foot pads that look like a ball of foot pad (metatarsal) cushions. The only difference is that the dancer's pad has a first metatarsal cut out. This cut out allows the dancer's pad to offload pressure on the big toe joint where the sesamoids are located.

Dancers pads come in stick-on adhesive felt or foam and a reusable, self-sticking gel. These sesamoid cushions come in 1/8" (3mm) and 1/4" (6mm) thickness.

Atlas Biomechanics produces dancer's pads here in the USA from medical grade materials.

Teri Green
Atlas Biomechanics