I wanted to post this as a bit of a success story since I haven't seen many people share their experiences with sesamoid issues. To make a long story short, I initially broke my lateral sesamoid on my right foot about 10 years ago while I was studying for a BFA in Dance. My doctors told me this was the end of my career since this injury takes quite a long time to recover and is potentially reoccurring. They were indeed correct that I would never be a professional dancer in the traditional sense, but I have spent the past decade teaching at local studios in my hometown and guesting with local companies.

In those 10 years, I have broken the same sesamoid 4 times. The last time was this past November, a week before Nutcracker. I did end up dancing through the shows as I was just a character role, but then was put in a DARCO shoe by my orthopedist for 6 weeks, which turned into 12 weeks. The bone did not heal at all, and an MRI revealed avascular necrosis - the bone had died. I had already known by this point I needed surgery, so it was finally scheduled for early March.

My incredible surgery team (Tracy and Jackie at TOA I owe you my entire life and my firstborn child!!!) took the bone out through the bottom of my foot, leaving a sizeable scar along the pad of the 1st metatarsal area. I was non-weightbearing for about 6 weeks (3 weeks in a cast, then 3 in a boot), then partial weightbearing in a boot for 4 weeks, and have been walking regularly since then. 

I am fully cleared for movement now, and have been doing PT twice a week since I've been out of the boot (around 7 weeks). This weekend I decided to do a barre at the gym to see how I could handle it. The combinations were very simple and focused on foot articulation, stability, and re-engaging muscles that haven't been worked in a long while. I was able to fully releve on my affected foot for the first time in ages, and I plan on taking some lower-level classes at my studio to get my strength up.

The photos above show the progress from initial (4th) break in Nov. to this weekend. I am still doing twice-weekly PT, but that should be done here soon. I fully believe I will be back in higher-level classes by the end of the year, and I am so happy that 10 years of this same injury are now over thanks to an incredible surgeon and her team! 

My advice to anyone dealing with this same injury: take care of yourself and work with your doctors to find what works best for you. I would not recommend jumping straight to a sesamoidectomy, but if that is your only option left as it was mine, research the surgeons in your area and find someone who has done this surgery successfully before. 

Coming Back to Ballet After Sesamoid Removal