Bone spurs: Bone spurs are a type of exostosis called osteophytes. Bone spurs develop over long periods of time, usually near joints (where two or more bones meet). Health conditions: Some conditions like osteoarthritis and spinal stenosis cause extra wear and tear on your bones. This stress can lead to an exostosis growing near that irritation. An exostosis can form on any bone in your body. Some of the most common types of exostoses form on bones in your: Paranasal sinus exostosis: Exostoses that form on bones in your nasal cavities (the narrow spaces around your nose) are called paranasal sinus exostoses.

Exostosis and sarcomas are both tumors. The biggest difference is that exostoses are never cancerous. Visit a healthcare provider right away if you notice a new growth on or near one of your bones, especially if it’s painful. Even though exostoses aren’t cancerous, they can develop in similar locations — and share early symptoms — with sarcomas. What is the difference between an exostosis and an osteoma? Osteoid osteomas are very similar to exostoses. They typically grow on long bones in people between 5 and 25 years old. They usually cause aching, dull pain that gets noticeably worse at night. What is the difference between an exostosis and an osteochondroma?

Stiffness or pain when you move, caused by exostoses that form on or near a joint (like your hip, knee, ankle, finger or toe).

Finding out you have a tumor is always scary. Fortunately, exostoses aren’t cancerous. In fact, you might not need any treatment at all if the exostosis isn’t causing pain or making it difficult to move. Even if you do need an exostosis surgically removed, you should make a full recovery with no long-term effects. Surfer’s ear: An exostosis that forms on the bones in your ear canal. It can make you more likely to experience ear infections. Surfer’s ear can sometimes lead to hearing loss. Subungual exostosis: Subungual exostoses form on the bones in your fingers or toes under your nail bed — the layer of tissue directly under a fingernail or toenail. Sarcomas are a rare type of cancerous (malignant) tumor that develops in bones and the connective tissue around them. Sarcomas form when immature bone or tissue cells experience a DNA mutation. Some mutations make them develop into cancer cells. Many exostoses don’t cause symptoms, and you might never know you have one. But — depending on where an exostosis develops — it might be painful when you move or use the affected bone.Exostoses are benign bone tumors that form on top of your existing bone tissue. In other words, they’re bumps of bone that grow out of one of your bones. They’re not cancerous. This means they’re not a symptom of cancer, and they don’t cause it. An exostosis also won’t spread to other parts of your body (metastasize).

Difficulty hearing if you have surfer’s ear. You might be more likely to experience ear infections because the exostosis makes it easier for water to get trapped inside your ear canal. Some exostoses hurt. Many don’t cause symptoms. You might never know you have an exostosis until a healthcare provider discovers it accidentally during an imaging test or physical examination. Symptoms of an exostosis can include: Osteoid osteomas are another type of benign bone tumor. You might see them referred to as just osteomas. Osteochondromas that develop one at a time are called solitary osteochondroma. Some children develop multiple osteochondromas at the same time. This is usually caused by a condition called multiple hereditary osteochondroma. Which treatments you’ll need for an exostosis depends on where it forms. Which bone it’s on will affect which symptoms you’ll experience and how a healthcare provider will treat the exostosis. How does an exostosis affect my body?

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Visit a healthcare provider if your child has a new bump on or near one of their bones, especially if the growth is painful.