Accessory bones that do not cause any discomfort can be left alone and do not need any treatment. Additional bones which provoke pain can often be treated conservatively. In case of a painful “os peroneum” this can be removed without causing any weakness of the tendon. A painful “accessory navicular bone” should be either re-attached to the main bone or removed and the tendon needs strong fixation to the navicular bone. Treatment depends on the quality of the accessory bone which determines the fixation method. After the operation, a patient is non-weight bearing and then in a removable boot gut eventually full recovery will be achieved.
In many areas of our body and particularly in our feet additional bones may develop and most often we are not aware of those additional bones. The additional bones can be prominent and interfere with footwear or can become painful even after minor injuries. The more common additional bones are the “accessory navicular” bone on the inside of the hindfoot, the “os peroneum” on the outside of the midfoot and the “os trigonum” at the back of the ankle. These bones develop during adolescence and might not be felt until later on in life causing a various amount of pain.
