Our 14-year-old son had an unusual tumor (osteoid osteoma) removed from his hip about a month ago. Now that he’s off crutches, he’s been complaining about numbness in the groin area. Does this mean the tumor is growing back?

Osteoid osteoma is the most common of the benign tumors involving bones. Most of the time, osteoid osteomas affect males between the ages of 5 and 24. A benign tumor doesn’t spread or metastasize like a malignant tumor can. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t symptomatic. Depending on the location of the tumor, intense pain and weakness are common.

Surgery to remove the tumor may be necessary if the symptoms are severe enough or disabling in any way. The surgeon performs a procedure called an en bloc resection meaning that the entire tumor plus a thin edge of normal bone around the tumor are removed.

Numbness in the groin area may suggest injury to the pudendal nerve. this nerve passes through the hip and pelvis areas before dropping down to the genital or groin area. Most of the time, the symptoms of numbness don’t last. Usually within four to six weeks, the affected individual is back to normal. It’s one of the few complications of en bloc resection of osteoid osteomas in the hip area.

Be sure and let your son’s surgeon know of this persistent numbness and have the physician double-check to make sure there isn’t something else going on.