Do you suspect that your child has FOP? These are the classic symptoms. Note that malformed big toes in combination with tumor-like masses are highly suggestive of FOP. 

Malformed big toes are present at birth

• Short, bent and sometimes curved inward
• Missing a joint which may make the big toes stiff
• Important early sign of FOP before the onset of extra bone

Swellings that look like tumors

• Sometimes red, painful and hot to the touch
• Typically in the shoulder and back areas and sometimes on the scalp or head
• Swellings eventually clear up but leave behind a new piece of mature bone

Bone formation in muscle, ligaments and connective tissue

• Stiffness, locking and permanent immobility
• Usually begins during the first two decades of life
• Instead of crawling, toddlers scoot on their buttocks due to facet joints on the back of the neck not forming properly or fusing together
  
  

To learn more about FOP, read chapters one and two of the What Is FOP? support guidebook.

For information you can share with your health care professional, click here.

A list of FOP health care professionals begins on page 122 of the FOP Treatment Guidelines.

Toes of an infant with FOP

 

Toes of a child with FOP

Toes of an adult with FOP

Swellings that look like tumors are FOP Flare-ups on a child