Complications of Having Too Many Bones in Your Foot

If you’re experiencing foot pain, a possible explanation is that you have an extra bone in that particular area of your foot. The most common place this extra bone can form is on the inside of your foot around the navicular bone. When an extra bone is located there, it’s called accessory navicular syndrome.  

Our team of podiatrists at Foot & Ankle Institute of Colorado offers insight into what exactly accessory navicular syndrome is and how to treat any complications that may come from having it.

What is accessory navicular syndrome?

Accessory navicular syndrome is a condition where an extra piece of cartilage or bone fragment forms in the inner part of your foot that’s right above your arch. The accessory navicular bone is typically settled between your navicular bone and posterior tibial tendon.

This condition is congenital (present at birth) and appears in about 2.5% of the population. In 50% of those cases, an accessory navicular bone was found in both feet.

Typically, this accessory navicular bone goes unnoticed until it starts to harden, or calcify, in adolescence, and a hard bump starts to form.

Complications of accessory navicular syndrome

In many cases, symptoms of accessory navicular syndrome don’t appear until well into adulthood, after the bone has had time to form and harden.

Some common symptoms of this condition include:

• A bony protrusion in the middle part of your foot
• Swelling and redness 
• Pain around the inner part of your foot and arch, especially after doing physical activity

Because of the accessory navicular bone’s position, having this syndrome can lead to complications like changes in your gait, damage to your posterior tibial tendon, and deformities such as flat feet.  

How accessory navicular syndrome is treated

At the Foot & Ankle Institute of Colorado, our team generally recommends conservative methods to treat your accessory navicular syndrome before resorting to any surgical options. Of course, the exact treatment depends on how severe your condition is.

Some of our nonsurgical options include:

• Activity modification
• Wearing orthotics and arch supports
• Physical therapy

Using over-the-counter pain medications can also help to give you some much-needed pain relief.

However, if these treatment methods don’t seem to be helping any, surgery will most likely be the next step. An approach that our practice typically uses is called the Kidner procedure, where we remove the accessory navicular bone and repair any damage done to the posterior tibial tendon before anchoring the tendon back to your navicular bone.

The bottom line

If you have any unexplained foot or ankle pain, having an extra bone could be the culprit, and that should be treated as quickly as possible to avoid complications.

To get treatment for your foot or ankle pain, call our office located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, or book an appointment online with us today.