Marginal exostoses of the spine. Causes of development and methods of treatment of osteochondral exostosis. The best private clinics in Israel

Exostosis is a benign tumor growth on the surface of the bone. It consists of bone cartilage tissue. The pathology is also called osteochondroma. This disease occurs most often in adolescence during active growth skeleton. Bone cartilaginous exostosis can be single or multiple, have different shapes. But usually this pathology is not dangerous and does not cause any negative consequences.

Development mechanism

Most often, the pathology occurs between the ages of 8 and 18 years. In children under 6 years of age, exostosis does not occur, although in many cases it is congenital disease. Overgrowth begins during rapid bone growth.

These growths come in different sizes. Most often they are small - the size of a pea. But there are tumors up to 10 cm and higher. The shape of bone exotosis is often semicircular, it can be in the form of a mushroom cap on a stalk or even in a bunch, in the shape of a cauliflower. Sometimes it appears as a linear growth, for example, in the form of a thorn.

According to statistics, osteochondral growths most often affect the bones of the legs. This is approximately 50% of all diagnosed exostoses. Such cases are almost unknown to medicine. occipital bone and other places of the skull.

The process of formation of bone growth is a gradual ossification of cartilage tissue. It is quite slow, so the tumor is bone spur, covered with a layer of cartilage with a thin bone shell. It is due to cartilage tissue that tumor growth occurs. The growth itself is spongy bone.

Growths of spongy tissue covered with a layer of cartilage like to be localized on tubular bones

Kinds

The growth can be localized anywhere in the skeleton. But most often there is exostosis on the tibia and fibula, the lower part of the thigh, on the forearm or humerus. Growths can be localized on the ribs, collarbones and even on the vertebral bodies. Slightly less common in children is exostosis of the hand or foot. The growths do not have any peculiarities depending on the place of occurrence, except that they can interfere and squeeze neighboring organs or fabric.

TO separate group Exostosis of the gums can be attributed. They most often form in adults, mainly after tooth extraction or complications after treatment. This pathology is diagnosed and treated by a dentist. Osteochondral growths have not yet been observed on the skull bones. But there are external exostoses ear canal. This condition is most often congenital, and therefore develops symmetrically on both sides.

Growths on the joints have minor features. Exostosis is the most common knee joint. It may be congenital or develop after injury. The growth is formed either at the end femur, or inside the joint itself. This leads to limitation of his mobility, it is especially difficult to straighten his leg.

Pathology has two types. If a single tumor develops, most often on the tibia or femur, they speak of the development of a solitary osteochondral exostosis. If there are many growths, this pathology is called multiple exostotic chondrodysplasia. This disease most often has a hereditary nature.

Sometimes multiple exostotic chondrodysplasia develops, in which growths form throughout the body

Causes

It is believed that osteochondral exostosis develops due to excess calcium in the body. Under the influence of external or internal provoking factors, it settles on the bones of the leg or arm. This pathology can be hereditary, but sometimes this condition appears due to frequent use eggs, dairy products or vitamin preparations without a doctor's prescription.

Causes of bone growths on the femur, arm or torso can also be:

• injury, most often a fracture or even a bruise;
• infection;
• inflammatory process in surrounding tissues;
• pathologies of the development of cartilage tissue or periosteum;
• disruption of the endocrine system.

Increased hardness of the water you drink can also lead to excess calcium in the blood.

Symptoms

Bone exostosis is most often a painless disease. The process of tumor growth occurs slowly, in most cases it does not cause any harm to the patient. discomfort and it doesn't hurt. The skin over the site of growth does not change in any way, there is no swelling or inflammation. Pathology is often discovered accidentally during an X-ray examination. But sometimes the growth on the bone can be felt. And in in rare cases the tumor is so large that it is visible.

Exostosis around a joint often causes pain and limitations in movement.

Sometimes growths cause discomfort. For example, exostosis of the knee joint can cause pain, limited movement, or inflammation. When such growths appear on the spine, the resulting compression of the spinal cord causes the following symptoms:

• severe pain;
• sensation of goosebumps and numbness of the skin;
• headache;
• weakness, dizziness;
• impairment of limb function or internal organs.

Diagnostics

This disease is quite difficult to identify, but initial stage- almost impossible. Small growths, especially on tibia or hip, do not manifest themselves in any way. Only with them large sizes pathology can be palpated or even noticed.

But most often exostosis is detected during X-ray examination. Although even in this way it is impossible to determine the real size of the growth. After all, this tumor grows due to the cartilage tissue that makes up it outer layer, but it is not visible on x-rays. In children, this layer can be up to 8 mm. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account that the size of the growth is larger than what is visible on x-ray.

Although this examination method is the only one for diagnosing this disease, it allows one to determine the shape of the growth and its location. When making a diagnosis, it is important to differentiate such a bone growth from malignant bone tumors. For this, an MRI is also performed.

Complications

You might think that if a pathology does not cause any discomfort, then it is harmless. Indeed, in some cases, a child may undergo spontaneous healing and the tumor will disappear. But when the growths are large, they can put pressure on blood vessels, nerves and nearby organs, impairing their functioning. Exostosis of the spine is especially dangerous. The growth of such a tumor can lead to compression of the spinal cord. This causes serious neurological disorders.

And with exostosis of the external auditory canal, the growth partially or completely covers it. The result is tinnitus and hearing loss. In addition, complications can occur with exostosis in the joints. Since the pathology occurs during the period of growth and development of the skeleton, bursitis or tendinitis may develop. Impaired functioning of the limb also causes atrophy of muscles and ligaments and the development of arthrosis. And when the bones of the foot are affected, which often happens in adults, difficulties arise in movement, and it is impossible to wear ordinary shoes.

Treatment of exostoses is carried out only surgically

Multiple growths are also a serious pathology. Such exostosis can lead to deformations of the child’s skeleton. After all, at this time its active development occurs, and tumors disrupt its normal formation. Because of this, club hand may develop, growth retardation, knee or knee deformities may occur. elbow joint.

A more rare complication is a fracture of the stem of the growth if it has the shape of a mushroom. And when rapid growth such a formation can degenerate into a malignant tumor. This may be chondrosarcoma or spindle cell sarcoma, but this happens no more often than 1% of cases. Most susceptible to degeneration of growth on hip joint, hips or vertebrae.

Treatment

Treatment of exostosis is only possible with surgery. Overgrowth is not amenable medications. If this pathology is detected, you must contact an orthopedist or traumatologist. After examination, he will decide whether surgery is necessary. The growth is removed under anesthesia, sometimes under local anesthesia. Its choice depends on the size of the growth and its location. Recently, efforts have been made to make the operation less traumatic.

The purpose of the operation is to remove the bone growth. Sometimes it is necessary to smooth out marginal bone defects, especially if the pathology was inside the joint. In some cases, it is also necessary to remove the periosteum. For small growths on the extremities, the patient is observed on an outpatient basis and leaves the hospital on the day of surgery.

Removal of exostosis in dentistry is carried out under local anesthesia. The operation is performed through a small incision in the gum. Most often the growth is removed with a drill, but sometimes with a laser. Rehabilitation after such an operation lasts from a week to a month, depending on the condition of the patient’s oral cavity and his compliance with the doctor’s recommendations.

Sometimes exostosis in a child can go away without surgery. Therefore, surgical treatment is carried out only after 18-20 years, when skeletal growth stops. Previously surgery may be prescribed if the growth causes compression of surrounding tissues, pain, or disruption of the functioning of internal organs, for example, when it grows in the rib area. Surgery also indicated for multiple exostoses that interfere proper development skeleton, if the tumor grows rapidly or if it leads to serious cosmetic defect, for example, with exostosis in the clavicle area.

Prevention

In most cases, it is difficult to prevent bone exostosis in a child, because the pathology is most often congenital. But it is possible to stop the increased growth and complications arising from this. To do this, you need to undergo regular preventive examinations with a doctor.

It is especially important to carry out timely treatment injuries After all, bone growths often form when the blood supply is disrupted or bones do not heal properly. To do this, together with the treatment prescribed by your doctor, you can use folk remedies. Decoctions of comfrey or elderberry help best with bone pathologies, carrot juice, rubbing cinquefoil or golden mustache tincture, compresses made from bear fat. These methods will help prevent overgrowth bone tissue with a predisposition to do so.

This pathology in most cases does not pose a particular danger to the life and health of the patient. Removal of the growth occurs without complications or consequences. Therefore, the prognosis for treatment is most often favorable.

• multiple exostotic chondrodysplasia;
• solitary osteochondral exostosis.

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Symptoms and course of the disease

Exostosis is a painless disease and may not manifest itself for a long time. Osteochondral exostosis can continue to go unnoticed for a long time, since the growth of osteochondral exostosis is very often not accompanied by symptoms. Exostosis can be detected randomly, for example, during an X-ray examination or when growths or indurations are identified.

Often bone growths do not appear until the age of 8, however, during active skeletal growth in the period from 8 to 18 years, activation may occur and exostosis may develop. Accelerated development of osteochondral exostosis is observed during puberty and is found on the fibula and tibia, as well as in the lower part of the thigh, on the scapula and clavicle.

Osteochondral exostosis affects the hands and feet much less frequently and never affects the skull area. The number of growths with osteochondral exostosis can vary - from a few to dozens; the situation is similar with sizes - from a pea to a large orange. It is not always possible to palpate exostoses during research, so radiography is used to accurately determine their number. This is the only way to obtain data on the size, shape and structure of osteochondral exostosis.

There are two types of osteochondral exostosis:

• solitary osteochondral exostosis;
• multiple exostotic chondrodysplasia.

Both types of exostoses can affect any bone. The favorite localization is the metaphyses of the long tubular bone. 50% of all osteochondral exostoses are marked by damage to the femur and proximal metaphysis shoulder joint and tibia. Osteochondral exostosis usually manifests itself in adolescence and childhood.

The clinical picture of osteochondral exostosis depends on the form of the disease, its location, the size of the exostosis, shape and connection with nearby tissues and organs. Exostoses of enormous size can affect nerve trunks and blood vessels, causing painful sensations. Osteochondral exostosis in the spine, with further growth in the area spinal canal, may result in compression of the spinal cord.

Quite often it happens that exostosis can be felt. There are cases when exostosis grew to such a size that it was visible even to the naked eye.

You should not think that if exostosis does not cause discomfort, then it is safe. This disease has serious complications. The growth can put pressure on neighboring organs, causing their deformation and dysfunction. It can even deform bones. Another dangerous complication- This is a fracture of the exostosis leg. However, the most dangerous complication is the degeneration of exostosis into a malignant tumor. This occurs in approximately 1% of cases. Exostoses on the shoulder blades, femurs, pelvis, and vertebrae are most prone to this.

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Treatment of the disease

Treatment of exostosis is only surgical. It is carried out by a traumatologist-orthopedist under local or general anesthesia. The choice of anesthesia depends on the size of the exostosis and its location. During the operation, the growth on the bone is removed, and its surface is smoothed.

The operation is now performed through a small incision. Often, if the exostosis was minor and the anesthesia was local, the patient can leave the hospital on the same day.

When performing surgery on the knee joint, it is immobilized for 1-2 weeks with a plaster splint, then the load on the affected leg is limited for another 1-2 months for prevention possible fractures together former height neoplasms.

The prognosis is good. Usually, after removal of exostosis, a lasting recovery occurs.

Diagnosis of the disease

Most exostoses are not clearly palpable when clinical trial, and a complete picture of the number of exostoses, shape, size, position, development, structure, etc. can be obtained only after radiography. The outer cartilaginous cover of exostosis is not visible on an x-ray, so the true size of the growth is always larger than the x-ray, especially in children, where the cartilaginous cap can be up to 6-8 mm thick.

Today, doctors quite often diagnose bone or cartilaginous exostosis in children.

But what is this disease, what are the factors of its occurrence and what consequences can it entail if left untreated?

What is exostosis

This disease is characterized by bone growths on the surface of the bones. These formations may have various shapes and sizes. For example, the growth may have the shape of a cauliflower or a mushroom. Bone tumor formed from spongy dense tissue.

Sometimes the growths are formed from cartilage tissue. However, it is worth noting that the designation “cartilaginous exostosis” is incorrect, because subsequently the tumor ossifies and turns into spongy tissue.

At the same time, its surface is covered with hyaline cartilage, which is an area of ​​growth.

Reasons for the occurrence of education

In reality, the factors behind the formation of such a tumor may be different. Basically, growths of this kind are the result of excessive tissue growth in the area of ​​bone damage. This phenomenon often develops after surgery, fractures or cracks.

However, there are other causes of exostosis. As statistics show, this problem often affects children and adolescents, which is often attributed to physiological characteristics organism, namely to intensive growth.

In addition, there is hereditary factor and all kinds inflammatory diseases bones chronic. In some cases, formations develop against the background inflammatory processes in mucous bursae and fibrosis.

Also, the reasons may lie in bone chondromatosis and aseptic necrosis. Exostosis mainly forms in people who have congenital anomalies skeleton.

Moreover, the formation may indicate the presence of a benign bone tumor.

But not in every case the doctor can identify the origin and causes of such a disease.

Symptoms

In most cases, exostosis in children does not cause any particular discomfort. The pathology occurs without any symptoms, so it is diagnosed accidentally when scheduled inspection. However, sometimes signs do appear and they are as follows:

• Painful sensations and discomfort that appear when pressing on the affected area, during movement or physical strain.
• If the tumor is located near a joint, then range of motion may be limited.
• Exostosis is often palpable.
• The intensity of the pain syndrome increases as the formation develops.

Modern diagnostics

In fact, pathologies of this kind are easily diagnosed. The doctor may suspect the presence of a tumor already during the examination of the patient, because specific localization exostosis allows it to be felt in certain places.

Moreover, an important role in the diagnostic process is given to the symptoms that appear and the medical history.

To confirm the diagnosis, the patient must undergo an x-ray examination. Exostosis in children and adolescents is easily visible in the picture. It is noteworthy that the true size of the tumor is generally a couple of millimeters larger, because cartilage is not visible on an x-ray.

Sometimes the doctor prescribes additional research. In particular, this applies to cases where the tumor is growing rapidly, since there is always a risk that the formation may be malignant degeneration cells.

To confirm or refute such a diagnosis, the doctor prescribes a biopsy, during which tissue samples are taken for subsequent laboratory and cytological analysis.

Treatment

Modern medicine offers a single method of treatment - removal of the growth through surgery. Without a doubt, surgery is not necessary for every person.

As mentioned earlier, often growths of this kind do not threaten general condition health, and the disease proceeds without visible manifestations.

Surgical removal of exostosis in children is indicated in situations where the tumor has big size or growing too quickly. In addition, indications for surgery include strong painful sensations and lack of physical activity.

Sometimes surgery is carried out only because exostosis is a significant cosmetic defect.

Today medical methods Treatments make it possible to eliminate tumors in bone tissue very quickly. To remove exostosis, a small incision is made, the length of which is no more than 2 centimeters.

Such a surgical intervention, and most often it is, is minimally invasive; it does not require specific preparation, prolonged hospitalization and long recovery.

Basically, after a few days after the operation, people gradually return to normal image life.

Complications that can be caused by exostosis in children

Sometimes even a small formation on the bones can cause various problems, which can significantly affect the patient’s quality of life. In addition, there are complications that arise from exostosis in children.

First, it should be noted that the large size of the tumor often rests on nearby bones, which leads to their subsequent deformation. TO negative consequences a fracture of the exostosis leg also applies, however, this phenomenon is rare.

But the greatest danger lies in the likelihood of a malignant tumor. Sometimes in patients the occurrence of a formation is a harbinger of a malignant tumor. Cancer often develops on the shoulder blades, hip and pelvic bones, and on the vertebrae.

For almost two centuries, the behavior of bone formation has been studied, the appearance and progression of which people are not always aware of. It is unknown how common the pathology is among the population, because in most cases it occurs latently and asymptomatically. Medicine has a large arsenal of methods surgical treatment, but to date no unified tactics have been developed. Exostosis disease occurs in children, adolescents and young adults aged 8-20 years during puberty. There are no data on the incidence of children under 6 years of age.

What is exostosis

Single or multiple benign neoplasm, which appears on the surface of the bone from gradually hardening cartilage tissue, has two names - bone exostosis or osteochondroma. This tumor is from 10 mm to 10 cm in size and has a spherical, spinous, mushroom-shaped, linear shape. Responsible for the growth of skeletal tissues in adolescence The epiphyseal plate, located at the ends of the long tubular bones of the limbs, is the platform from which the formation of osteochondroma begins.

Exostotic disease is a common primary defect, accounting for 10-12% of all types of bone tumors and 50% of benign formations. At the initial stage of development, it is cartilage, reminiscent of articular, and over time it turns into spongy bone, framed by a cartilaginous shell up to 1 cm thick. The covering of cartilage tissue constantly grows and hardens, increasing the size of the tumor. The formation is persistent, but facts have been noted when it gradually smoothed out and disappeared forever.

Reasons for the formation of exostosis

The etiology of the tumor is not always determined by doctors. It is known that single seal occurs as a result of increased growth of cartilage tissue caused by a number of reasons, and multiple neoplasms are inherited, family diseases. There are a number external factors, contributing to the formation of spongy growth:

• chronic inflammatory diseases bone or cartilage tissue;
• intensive growth tissues at the sites of injuries, fractures, bruises, strangulations of the skeleton;
• infectious diseases;
• abnormalities in the development of periosteum and cartilage;
• excess calcium in the body, stimulating the development of bone tissue;
• increased skeletal growth during puberty in adolescents;
• disruption of the endocrine system.

Symptoms of exostosis

Signs of pathology depend on its location and size. Detecting a tumor can sometimes be difficult because long time its formation is asymptomatic - slow and painless. As a rule, a lump is discovered by chance when it begins to be palpated and becomes noticeable upon examination. Pain syndrome occurs when the growth increases to a certain size.

When the tumor is large, compression occurs blood vessels and nerves, arises pain syndrome during movement, physical stress, pressure on the bone, and as the compaction grows, the pain intensifies. At this stage it is also possible headache and dizziness, numbness in parts of the body, and a sensation of goosebumps on the skin. The pathology is accompanied by pain when it degenerates into a malignant tumor. Severe pain is characterized by exostosis of the knee joint, destruction or peeling of the nail under the influence of a growing growth, etc.

Forms and localization of exostoses

Osteochondral pathologies can be divided into solitary (single) and multiple. Both types of formations have different reasons occurrence, cause various complications, affect different age categories of people:

• solitary osteochondral exostosis is a single immobile growth that, as it grows, compresses nearby nerve trunks and vessels, causing severe pain. The disease is acquired and is the result of injuries, infectious and inflammatory processes in the body. For example, after a hip fracture with high probability Exostosis of the femur develops. In 70% of cases, the defect occurs in patients under 30 years of age. In adolescents, the process progresses during increased growth of bone tissue and stops when the formation of the skeleton is completed;
• multiple exostotic chondrodysplasia - several located in different places growths that, as they grow, touch the adjacent bone, damage and deform joints. Such neoplasms are diseases that are inherited according to an autosomal dominant type of inheritance, in which only one defective gene is enough for the development of pathology. The tumor occurs more often in patients under 20 years of age.

Initially, the defect is located on the metaphysis - the rounded, expanded end section of the tubular bone of the limb. As the skeleton grows, it moves towards the diaphysis - central department long bone. The defect grows away from the articulation of the bones, but there are known facts of growth in the opposite direction, which leads to disruption of the functionality of the joint.

The location of the tumor is often the pelvic, tibia and femur bones, forearm, collarbone, scapula, ribs, vertebrae, knee joints. Exostosis is common calcaneus, knee joint, spine. The growth rarely appears on the phalanges of the fingers and toes; cases of tumor occurrence on the skull are unknown. Marginal exostoses are formed at the bone ends.

Diagnostics

Detection of pathology often occurs unexpectedly, when touching a place where discomfort is felt. Another accident is the reflection of the tumor on an x-ray taken in connection with another disease. Often the reason for diagnostic procedures The patient complains of pain in the joints and spine, accompanied by dizziness, numbness in parts of the body, etc. Execution x-ray examination mandatory in any case - in the absence of pain and in its presence.

If there is a sudden increase in tumor growth, an increase in its diameter by more than 5 cm, and the thickness of the cartilage coating by more than 1 cm, an urgent x-ray is required. Suspicion of malignancy arises from the outline irregular shape with fuzzy edges. Sometimes the tumor appears mottled and the bone around the lesion is swollen. To clarify the diagnosis, a biopsy is performed based on material taken from several areas. Sometimes an MRI or CT scan.

The picture clearly shows that the contours of the underlying spongy bone neoplasms merge. The cartilaginous cap is not visible, but the foci of calcification present in it are recognized. When microscopy of the cartilage coating, randomly located chondrocytes are clearly visible - tissue cells of different sizes. In older people, the cartilaginous cap may be absent. The thickness of the shell should be no more than 1 cm; for larger values, it is necessary to check for the presence of secondary, malignant chondrosarcoma.

Treatment of exostosis

In most precedents, the pathological focus behaves calmly - after the age of 20, it does not change in size, does not cause pain, and does not limit the functionality of parts of the skeleton. In this case, treatment of the defect is not required, only observation is carried out. If pain occurs, the tumor quickly grows, severe bone deformation develops at the site of the tumor, discomfort is felt, it is excised with complete removal cartilaginous cap and scraping the periosteum adjacent to it using a medical chisel.

If it is necessary to remove the growth along with the root, a bone defect may form, which must be filled with a graft. In this place, the bone structure will be restored only after 2 years. More preferable are preservation operations, during which the formation is fractured at the site of transition into the maternal bone and removed as a single block. Using a cutter, the surface of the mother bone is processed without removing the root of the growth from it.

Few people know about exostosis, despite the fact that this disease is not rare. The disease can develop in both a child and an adult. However, most often a person does not even suspect about the disease, since it does not cause any discomfort and is asymptomatic.

Causes of the disease

Exostosis is a bone or osteochondral growth on the surface of the bone. This benign tumor several millimeters thick, consisting of cartilage tissue. But as the tumor grows, it hardens and turns into a bone growth. The disease can develop even in a young child, but, as a rule, it does not manifest itself until 7–8 years of age.

In most cases, it is diagnosed during adolescence during an examination. The danger of osteochondral exostosis is that it may not appear very for a long time, growing to enormous sizes. Although it is quite simple to diagnose: the growth can be felt under the skin. New growths are also visible on x-rays.

The causes of the disease are as follows:

• injuries and damage in childhood and adolescence, when intensive tissue growth occurs;
• chronic diseases of the skeletal system;
• complications after inflammatory processes in the body;
• congenital skeletal anomalies;
• excess calcium in the body, deposited on the bones;
• heredity.

With exostosis, several growths can be observed at once. Sometimes their number reaches several dozen. They can be different sizes and forms. There are growths in the form of a ball, an inverted bowl, and even in the shape of a flower.

Classification and diagnosis

Typically, neoplasms are noticed during an X-ray examination. However, only the ossified part of the growth is visible in the image, and the cartilage “cap” covering the growth remains invisible. Therefore, the real size of tumors is always larger than what is visible on an x-ray. But x-ray examination perfectly shows the number, shape and stage of tumor development.

Exostosis manifests itself in different ways. Most often, the disease can develop for years until it is detected by a doctor. But there are times when the tumor puts pressure on nerve endings and vessels. Then the person experiences pain when pressing on certain areas of the body or feels numbness.

If the growth is located near a joint, it limits the movement of the limbs. Sometimes exostosis is accompanied by dizziness. In such cases, the patient undergoes additional examinations. If the disease develops with complications, and the growth itself grows rapidly, then there is a risk of transformation of the neoplasm into a malignant tumor. Then a biopsy is performed with tissue collection to better study the development of the disease.

The disease is divided into 2 types:

1. Solitary exostosis, manifested in the form of a single growth.
2. Multiple, characterized by several neoplasms. Multiple growths appear in several areas at once. This type of disease is hereditary.

Most often, exostosis is diagnosed on the following parts of the body:

• collarbone;
• hip joint;
• shoulder joint;
• tibia;
• edge;
• spatula

In half of the cases, exostosis of the femur and tibia is diagnosed.

One of the most severe types of disease is spinal exostosis. A tumor on the spine can affect spinal cord, leading to disruptions in its operation. Marginal exostoses of the vertebral bodies interfere with their normal mobility. In addition, vertebral growths often develop into malignant formations.

Exostosis of the knee joint is no less dangerous. A growing tumor causes inflammation and leads to deformation of the joint, impairing its function.

The hands and feet are least commonly affected. Usually, hereditary exostosis of the calcaneus and metatarsal bones are detected.

Uninitiated people mistakenly call a heel growth a “spur,” confusing it with another disease.

Treatment options

Exostosis is treated in only one way - surgery. However, some patients may not require surgery. Usually the operation is prescribed for children who have reached adulthood. Until this time, the growth may shrink and completely resolve. This is how, for example, rib exostosis behaves, which is detected in children 8–18 years old. In most cases it is a complication various diseases and goes away spontaneously over time. If the bone growth does not grow and does not cause any discomfort, then some people live with it all their lives, seeing a doctor from time to time.

Indications for removal of exostoses are:

• significant tumor size or rapid growth;
• the risk of transformation of growths into malignant neoplasms;
• pain due to the pressure of growths on blood vessels and nerve endings;
• various cosmetic defects.

As a rule, surgery to remove tumors does not require special preparation. The tumors are removed along with the periosteum adjacent to the tumor to avoid relapse. Operations are carried out as under general anesthesia, and under local anesthesia, if the case is uncomplicated. Even after surgery on the hip or foot area, the patient returns to full life in just a few weeks.

When the affected area of ​​the body should be protected, after the operation it is immobilized for some time with a plaster splint. The patient then undergoes a course of restorative procedures. If all medical recommendations are followed, the patient recovers quickly. Only in rare cases are complications possible when the disease relapses. The growth appears again and is a harbinger malignant neoplasms. More often malignant tumor affects the vertebrae, hip and pelvic bones, as well as the shoulder blades.

Traditional methods

Despite the fact that exostosis is a disease that requires surgical intervention, many try to cure bone growth at home. Some turn to traditional healers, others take information from the Internet, looking at questionable photos of treatment and using unverified recipes. Unfortunately, self-medication often only complicates the situation.

As a rule, patients begin treatment with folk remedies when the bone growth causes severe discomfort. To relieve pain, many people make herbal compresses and lotions. Such methods do not cause harm to health, but they do not cure exostosis.

Without achieving results using herbal recipes, patients switch to radical drugs - painkillers and various ointments. However, such methods are already fraught with complications.

1. Firstly, thoughtless use of painkillers negatively affects internal organs such as the liver, kidneys and stomach.
2. Secondly, a benign tumor can develop into malignancy, and medications used without prescription only accelerate this dangerous process.

Yet traditional methods are not so harmful in the treatment of exostosis if they are preventive in nature. First of all, this concerns lifestyle.

Normal nutrition, strengthening the immune system, playing sports - all this protects against the development of exostosis even after injury.

Some diseases of the internal organs can also cause tumors to appear on the bones. To prevent this from happening, you need to carefully monitor your health and treat various ailments in a timely manner.

To prevent exostosis from affecting your legs, you should give them rest more often. It is important to distribute the load on the feet evenly, and for this it is useful to wear comfortable shoes and orthopedic insoles.

Doctors often prescribe to patients various compresses and baths to reduce pain or relieve swelling. Home methods can also be used after surgery, but no prescription should be used without consulting your doctor.