The navicular bone is one of the 26 bones in the human foot.
It is prone tostress fractures, especially by athletes while kicking, sprinting, twisting, or falling.
Anatomy
Thehuman footcontains 26 bones and 33 individual joints.
The navicular bone is a wedge-shaped bone located on the top inner side of the middle of the foot.
It serves to connect the ankle bone (talus) to the tarsal bones of the foot.
Several ligaments and a tendon connect to the navicular bone, which enables efficient walking.
Stress fractures can occur from repeated stress.
Athletes commonly fracture the navicular bone while kicking, twisting, or sprinting.
Pain and change in how you walk are common with fractures.
Among track athletes, navicular stress fractures are one of the most common causes of stress fractures.
Treatment can be conservative or surgical, depending on the severity of the fracture.
Conservative treatment includes casting to allow the bone to heal.
Kohler disease is most commonly seen in young children between the ages of 4 and 7.
It is more common in boys.
The navicular bone is calcified in children when they are around 3 years old.
This compressionalong with the lack of blood supply to the navicular boneincreases the chances of Kohler disease.
Usual symptoms are tenderness and pain in the middle of the foot.
Swelling may also be present.
This disease is self-limited and usually corrects itself as children mature.
Anti-inflammatory medications and immobilization with a short walking cast are the recommended treatment to alleviate pain.
MWS is more frequently seen in women.
Treatment using anti-inflammatories and immobilization are typically successful in treating pain.
Surgical alternatives are available, if needed, to alleviate pain and to restore the arch.
This is a congenital condition and is present at birth.
It occurs in 4 to 14% of the population.
Most people who have accessory navicular syndrome do not know it exists unless the extra bone causes a problem.
Symptoms of accessory navicular syndrome include:
In adolescence, cartilage calcifies, which turns into bone.
Often it is during this process when symptoms of accessory navicular syndrome appear.
Some people dont experience symptoms until later in life.
History of pain, examination, and X-rays can confirm the diagnosis of accessory navicular syndrome.
If symptoms reappear after conservative treatment, surgery to remove the extra navicular bone may be needed.
Treatment
Recovery from navicular bone-associated conditions typically include treatment using both immobilization and anti-inflammatory therapies.
Physical therapy and specialized shoe inserts are often utilized to help prevent re-injury.
Shakked RJ, Walters EE, OMalley MJ.
Tarsal navicular stress fractures.Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med.
2009;30(1):10-15. doi:10.3113/fai.2009.0010
