Accessory Navicular Fact Sheet

Summary

  • Accessory Navicular is a condition where the Navicular bone has developed in two pieces.
  • You have a painful lump on the inside of your foot, usually aggravated by shoes rubbing on it.
  • It can be difficult to walk far, or on uneven surfaces, and climbing stairs or ladders is a real pain.
  • Your ski boots or hiking boots are killing you.

How did I get this?

  • The accessory navicular is an extra bone in your foot, of which there can be many in addition to the 26 bones we usually expect to find there. It is thought to develop in teenage years as your skeleton hardens and finishes growing.
  • This can become painful due to irritation from footwear, unusually high levels of activity, or recent weight gain.

What can I do about it?

  • Wearing shoes that do not irritate the area is the first step. You can add padding around the area or inside your shoe. Reduce your activity so that the bone is not irritated. Lose weight to reduce the stress on the bone.

What help can I get for this?

  • A podiatrist can help with footwear advice or padding for the lump. You may also get some relief by using orthotics which are designed to reduce the stress on the bone.
  • A surgeon can remove the bone, but only after all other options have been tried. Surgery can take 9-12 months to recover fully.

When will it get better?

  • After pressure and stress are reduced on the bone you should start to feel relief quickly.
  • Continued use of appropriate footwear and padding or support should result in more prolonged improvement.

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