What is sesamoid tendonitis?

Sesamoid tendonitis (sometimes spelled tendinitis and pronounced 'tendinitus') is irritation and/or inflammation of the tendons surrounding the sesamoid bones.

You will feel this irritation and/or inflammation when there is a strain, damage or micro-tearing in the tendon tissue.

Anyone can suffer from sesamoid tendinitis - for younger people it usually happens from repetitive movement of the toe in athletic activities like baseball and ballet. In adults, this injury can happen from over-use OR degeneration of the tissue as we age.


You could have different types of sesamoid tendonitis including:

• Tendinosis - a condition caused by chronic degeneration (wearing away) of the tendon fibers over time.
• Tendinopathy - chronic inflammation of the sesamoid tendon(s) that results from many small tears over from from over-use or repetitive movements.
• Tenosynovitis - damage or micro-tearing to the sheath covering the sesamoid tendon(s).

It's possible to have tendonitis / tendinosis / tendinopathy AND tenosynovitis at the same time, creating a more complicated sesamoid tendon injury.