#exostoses

Abnormal bony growths in the ear canal were surprisingly common in Neanderthals, according to a study published August 14, 2019 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Erik Trinkaus of Washington University and colleagues.

External auditory exostoses are dense bony growths that protrude into the ear canal. In modern humans, this condition is commonly called "swimmer's ear" and is known to be correlated with habitual exposure to cold water or chilly air, though there is also a potential genetic predisposition for the condition. Such exostoses have been noted in ancient humans, but little research has examined how the condition might inform our understanding of past human lifestyles.

Skulls With 'Surfer's Ear' Suggest Ancient Pearl Divers in Panama 

The first time anthropologist Nicole Smith-Guzmán noticed a nob of bone protruding from the ear canal of an ancient skull in Panama, she didn’t know what to make of it. “I never expected to find this sort of bony growth because we’re taught this is a cold-water thing.” And the isthmus of Panama is nothing if not tropical.

The little spur Smith-Guzmán identified had created a slight mound in the skull’s ear canal—an annoying impediment for the person who once had to deal with it. Known as external auditory exostoses, or EAE, the bony masses can be globular or shaped like teardrops. Depending on their severity, these growths, commonly called “surfer’s ear” today, can cause repeat ear infections and even deafness.

Data supports clinical investigations of palovarotene to treat multiple hereditary exostoses — ScienceDaily

Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) have led a preclinical study demonstrating that the drug palovarotene suppresses the formation of bony tumors (osteochondromas) in models of multiple hereditary exostoses (MHE). The research, published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, is an important step toward an effective pharmacological treatment for MHE, a…

A great, quick read from one of our fav's: Dr Tom Michaud.

Here is my favorite excerpt. I had not thought of imaging the ankle quite this way

you asked it in a very kind way, thank you for coming to me about it! 

the bone problem that i have is called exostosis (also known as osteochondroma exostosis, or multiple hereditary exostosis) 

to put it simply, that means that there are abnormal bony growths/tumors(non-cancerous of course, at least for me, i havent heard of any cancerous cases yet) in my bones. for myself and many others, exostosis doesn’t just affect my arms, a lot of common cases are found on the knees, feet and wrists. 

in my case i have most it most prominently displayed in my left forearm and knees, but i also have it in my ankles, wrists, shoulders, fingers, ribs and under my armpit. actually, there are a lot more that i don’t know about, but my parents and doctors are aware of all of them. 

and i just recently went to an out of state doctor who truly explained how my arm deformity works. you normally would have two parts to your forearm, the ulna and radius 

the ulna and radius are generally around the same length, but my ulna was shorter which caused my radius to grow longer and start to bow, and eventually come out of the socket that it should normally be in(the lateral epicondyle i believe, according to the diagram at least)

and this is how my arm looks now (these are just some recent cosplay pictures that display the differences between my left arm deformity as compared to my right arm that doesnt have any visible deformities.) 

but all in all, multiple hereditary exostosis is a disease people don’t really know about and is only dangerous when the tumors cause you pain, in which the only surgeries that are made for curing it is to remove said growths. the bones are only supposed to grow until the end of your growth spurt, and the discovery of new extra bones stops when you reach adulthood.