QUESTION: Is there a condition where the muscle turns into a bone? A friend of mine had an x-ray of his arm, and there was a piece of bone seen that normally isn't there.
The doctor says that the only way to treat it is to remove it with an operation, but wants to wait a while to see how big it is going to get.
Is this right? Please help us.
ANSWER: The condition is one that is known, and bears the impressive name of "myositis ossificans"; but it really isn't muscle turning into bone, although that is the meaning of the translation of these words which come to us from the both the Greek ("myo" means "muscle") and the Latin ("ossificans" means "to make bone").
Actually the process begins with an injury, usually a contusion or strain, in which the muscle is torn, and blood collects in a clot called a "hematoma".
The most common spot for these types of injuries are the thigh, followed by the mid arm.
The bone formation usually only occurs on severe injuries, and may also involve a clot infection after a respiratory infection.
Slowly the clot is transformed into bone, possibly from bone cells which came from an injury to the covering of the bone (periosteum) which might have occurred at the same time.
The bony mass keeps enlarging for as long as six or seven weeks, after which a process of resorption begins.
Small masses may disappear completely, but when a large bone mass remains after a longer period of time, the only way to remove it is by using surgical techniques. Interestingly enough there is another situation in which such benign bone growth may be seen, and it is called "drug user's elbow".
Here the process starts with the injuries to muscles and surrounding tissues that have been caused by the unskilled use of a needle that was in search of a vein, but instead ripped the other tissues in the area.
The brachialis muscle of the upper arm is the muscle most commonly injured.
If your friend's doctor believes that his injury is recent, he is correct in waiting a bit to see what develops before attempting to remove abnormal bone.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
