Myositis ossificans, or heterotopic ossification, is a rare condition where bone grows into muscle. It can be hereditary or caused by trauma, and treatment depends on the location and cause of bone growth. Medications and routine injury care can reduce the risk, and surgery may be required to remove excess bone.
Myositis ossificans is an unusual condition in which bone begins to grow into muscle. It is also sometimes known as heterotopic ossification. This condition can be identified with the use of x-ray images which will reveal bone deposits within the muscle and in places where bone should not be present. The approach to treatment depends on the location of the bone growth, the underlying cause, and factors such as the patient’s age.
There are several reasons someone might develop myositis ossificans. In some people, it’s hereditary. People will develop progressive bone growth into their muscles, and over time, the condition can become fatal in some patients. In an unusual genetic condition known as fibrodysplasia ossificans progressive (FOP), damage to the patient’s tissue causes bone to grow, leading over time to widespread heterotopic ossification throughout the body.
In other cases, people have no known genetic conditions that would lead to myositis ossificans, with the condition appearing following trauma. Individuals with spinal cord injuries and paralysis are at risk, as are people who have sustained deep muscle injuries that have resulted in internal bruising, such as a football injury in a sport such as soccer. In this case, the bone will grow into the thigh or arm muscles as the muscle heals.
There are some steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of myositis ossificans after an injury. Certain medications can be used in patients with spinal injuries, and routine injury care recommendations such as ice to prevent inflammation also appear to help. It’s also important to work with an experienced physician when treating an injury so that signs of complications can be identified early.
When bone growth is identified in an area where it shouldn’t occur, your doctor first determines the cause. If someone has a genetic condition, the cause may already be apparent, but if someone has no or no family history of related conditions, some tests may be conducted, along with an extensive interview with the patient, to learn more about the patient and the situation. Once the cause is identified, treatment options can be discussed.
Sometimes, the excess bone is reabsorbed by the body on its own, especially in cases of traumatic myositis ossificans such as that caused by a sports injury. In other cases, it may be severe enough to require surgery to remove the bone. In general, a wait-and-see approach will be recommended, with periodic tests to see if the condition is progressing or remaining stable.
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