Extra Bones In The Human Foot: A Common Finding

Extra foot bones?located in either foot. There are about a dozen or so
The truth is, some people do have extra bones in theirlocations in which they can appear. Development of
feet. Most of the time, one would never notice thataccessory ossicles occurs for a variety of reasons,
they had these extra bones present in their feet.none of which include cancer. For the most part, these
Usually smaller than an almond and well hidden in thebones are hidden and will cause no symptoms.
depth of the foot, these small bones are calledOccasionally, these bones can be a source of pain
accessory ossicles (although sometimes the termdepending on their location. For instance, when the
sesamoid is confusingly used). These extra bonesbone sits under a toe joint, the added prominence it
should not be confused with normal small sesamoidcreates can cause a painful corn or pressure sore to
bones that everyone has under the big toe joint.develop. When located on the inside or outside of the
Accessory ossicles are often round or egg shaped,foot along a tendon, the presence of the bone can
and can be found under toe joints, along the sides andeventually irritate the tendon and create inflammation.
back of the foot, as well as around the ankle. SomeThis is especially true if the bone sits inside the tendon,
people have only one, while others may have manyas is often the case.