{"id":9839,"date":"2019-09-04T08:21:52","date_gmt":"2019-09-04T08:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=9839"},"modified":"2021-06-22T16:58:45","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T16:58:45","slug":"15-known-causes-of-exostosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/15-known-causes-of-exostosis\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Known Causes of Exostosis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Even though a lot of people might never have heard the term exostosis before, it\u2019s something that most people are familiar with \u2013 and something that a great deal of the population is likely to experience in their lifetime. The other name for exostosis is a bone spur, which is the name that most people know it by. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bone spurs are usually small, non-cancerous growths that happen on top of the existing bone. They are usually caused by repeated irritation of the bone, for example by rubbing against it with a shoe while walking \u2013 or by pressing a pen against it for a ten or twenty-year career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the majority of cases, bone spurs aren\u2019t dangerous by themselves, but they can cause a lot of associated pain and discomfort and might need to be removed when they start to become impairing in any way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are 8 known causes of exostosis that you should know about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Irritation by Wind<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bone spurs<\/a> can occur anywhere in the body where there are already existing bones, usually in any area that gets repeatedly irritated, rubbed, affected or touched. This means that they can occur almost anywhere in the body, including on the arms, fingers, legs \u2013 and even inside of the mouth and ears.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When bone spurs happen in the ears, it can be referred to as \u201csurfer\u2019s ear\u201d because of the fact that it tends to happen to surfers. It\u2019s also considered a very common type of physical injury for people who spend a lot of time on yachts or boats, or in areas where they are exposed to vast amounts of wind blowing directly into the ear canal \u2013 which is what acts as the irritant that causes the bone spur in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exostosis in the ear can lead to pain, discomfort and problems with balance as well as repeated ear infections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Repeated Irritation by Shoes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common places for bone spurs (or exostosis) to occur is on the back of the heels, usually where the back of the shoe rubs against this area while wearing shoes. It\u2019s commonly diagnosed in children who are still growing into their shoes and often not sure how they should walk just yet, but also commonly diagnosed in anyone who spends a lot of time on their feet in a high-impact career or sport. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heel spurs<\/a> are common for runners, joggers, service industry staff, soldiers: Most careers where you\u2019re made to spend any time on your feet, you\u2019re likely to develop these sooner or later.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many things can make heel spurs worse, including wearing shoes that don\u2019t fit properly, or standing in ways that add more stress and pressure to the already-strained area. Some ways to alleviate these types of bone spurs include wearing special shoe inserts that can help to take the pressure off \u2013 and of course, making sure that your shoes fit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Grinding of the Jaw<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Grinding of the jaw is a very common condition that can be triggered by many different things (including stress, dietary factors and the use of certain drugs), and it\u2019s also known as bruxism<\/a>. There are many people who suffer from this symptom for their entire lives without knowing it, and in many cases, the only symptom they ever experience is a pain in the neck or jaw as a result of the added muscle tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waking up with headaches in the middle of the night or morning is usually one of the first signs that you might be grinding in your sleep \u2013 and bone spurs on the jawbone or in the mouth can occur as one of the long-term symptoms if the condition isn\u2019t treated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you develop bone spurs related to the jaw, pain is common \u2013 and sometimes impaired the movement of the jaw if the bone spur grows in size. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Previous Injury to the Nails<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Exostosis can happen in almost any part of the body where there\u2019s bone for it to be attached to, and this can include the nails and bed of the nails, too. These types of injuries are common where there has been a previously healed injury that occurred to the nail <\/a>\u2013 and they can get in the way of how the nail is supposed to grow and lead to a whole range of issues that include repeated lifting of the nail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes bone spurs under the nails can lead to a considerable amount of pain and discomfort felt, and it might be a worsening condition if the area where the exostosis occurs gets touched, irritated or subjected to stress or pressure more. In cases where people work with their hands every day, bone spurs of this sort are much more common \u2013 and can easily get in the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For these, removal is usually the best and a minor procedure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Injury to the Bone<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any previous injury sustained to the bone can be something that irritates the bone surrounding it and causes calcification of more bone on top of this \u2013 and thus, bone growths that aren\u2019t supposed to be there. If you\u2019ve ever broken or fractured any bones in your body and notice that the area where the fracture <\/a>was has started to feel raised or different in any way, see your doctor \u2013 and talk about the possibility that this could be caused by bone growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If this is the case, it\u2019s likely that you will experience some pain or discomfort around the area, and you might experience swelling around the area as well. Never ignore any symptoms that make you feel pain or discomfort, especially if you can tie it to growths \u2013 it\u2019s true that not all growths are non-cancerous, and the only way to tell whether it is benign and can be removed (or needs to be treated in a different way) is to order tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Undiagnosed Mouth Injuries<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bone spurs can happen anywhere in the body and are most commonly seen in the form of stress injuries<\/a> on the hands (for example, where most people would hold a pen) or heel spurs that affect people where their shoes cause added stress on their feet \u2013 but they can also happen anywhere else in the body, including the jaw and the insides of the mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are many things which can cause bone spurs to occur on the inside of the mouth, although the most common of them all is through undiagnosed mouth injuries \u2013 such as a tooth abscess, a piece of tooth which broke off and lodged itself on the inside of the mouth or just stress from chewing things that hurt the inside of the mouth. Do you love any snacks that might cause this? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, these types of bone spurs are best removed due to the long-term discomfort that they can cause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Genetic Factors<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Genetic <\/a>factors are one of the most common causes of developing bone spurs that aren\u2019t directly related to any external forms of stress. Most of the causes that are mentioned in this article are ones that can be changed when an underlying cause or medical condition is treated \u2013 although it\u2019s also true that some people are just more prone to bone spurs than others because of their genetics.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have a history of bone spurs, bone cancers or any type of growth or tumor in your family \u2013 even if it was never diagnosed in their lifetime \u2013 see your doctor for the scans and to discuss the best treatment options for your individual condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Genetic factors like these \u2013 and genetic factors of any other health conditions out there \u2013 means that you are at an automatically higher risk of developing these health conditions. This means that you should be more conscious about your health, especially about your risk factors, and make regular appointments with your doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. High Arches<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Heel spurs are one of the most common types of bone spurs out there, and there are thousands of people every year who have to endure the pain that goes along with it. Direct tension <\/a>placed on the back of the heel due to the added pressure of shoes pressing on top of it isn\u2019t the only thing that can help to make heel spurs grow \u2013 there is also proof that genetic factors can increase your risk of developing heel spurs, and there are other things that can increase your risk even further.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High arches are one of the common causes of developing heel spurs. This can also cause a lot of pain in the Achilles tendon, and if left alone to progress or left untreated for too long it can start to impair mobility. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have high arches, then it\u2019s an easy condition to treat with the addition of soft shoe inserts and physiotherapy. Any existing bone spurs will usually have to be surgically removed during a minor procedure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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