Osteomyelitis

It is the medical term for an infection in a bone. Traveling through your bloodstream or spreading from nearby tissue is how infections can reach a bone. It can also begin in the bone itself if trauma exposes your bone to germs. The long bones of your body, such as your leg and upper arm bones, as well as your spine and pelvis are commonly affected by bone infections.

Osteomyelitis often occurs in children as an acute (short term) condition. In adults, it may occur as either acute and chronic (long term) form.

Osteomyelitis can be successfully treated today, but was once considered incurable. It is still a serious condition requiring aggressive treatment to prevent spread of your infection and to save the affected bone.

What are the Symptoms of Osteomyelitis?

Signs and symptoms depend on whether the condition is acute, lasting several months or less, or chronic, lasting several months to years.

Signs and symptoms of acute osteomyelitis include:

• Fever that may be abrupt
• Irritability or lethargy in young children
• Pain in the area of the infection
• Swelling, warmth and redness over the area of the infection

Signs and symptoms of chronic osteomyelitis include:

• Warmth, swelling and redness over the area of the infection
• Pain or tenderness in the affected area
• Chronic fatigue
• Drainage from an open wound near the area of the infection
• Fever, sometimes

Sometimes it causes no signs and symptoms or they are difficult to distinguish from other problems. For example, osteomyelitis of the hip, spine or pelvis may have few signs and symptoms.

Osteomyelitis that occurs after a broken bone (fracture) or deep wound may cause pain and swelling that you may attribute to your injury, not an infection.

What are Some Causes of Osteomyelitis?

It occurs when an infection develops in a bone or spreads to a bone from another area of your body. It's caused by bacteria or fungi. The infected bone may deteriorate and form a pocket (abscess) of pus in response to the infection. This may block blood supply to the bone. The loss of blood supply may lead to death of the bone in cases of chronic osteomyelitis that lasts for years.

Your bones are usually resistant to infection. In order for osteomyelitis to occur, a situation that makes your bones vulnerable must be present. For example, trauma to your bone, such as a fracture, or to the soft tissue around your bone, such as a puncture wound, gives infections a route to enter your bone or nearby tissue.

You may also be vulnerable to infection if you have a condition that weakens your body's ability to fight an infection, such as HIV, diabetes or sickle cell anemia.

When do I Seek Medical Advice?

See your doctor if you experience worsening bone pain along with signs and symptoms of an infection, such as fever and chills.

If you're at risk of infection because of a medical condition or recent surgery or injury, see your doctor right away if you notice signs and symptoms of an infection.

Your doctor may order a combination of tests and procedures to diagnose osteomyelitis and to determine what type of infection you have including: blood tests, x-rays, other imaging procedures such as MRI and CT, and bone biopsy.

What are Some Treatments for Osteomyelitis? Surgery Doctors treat chronic osteomyelitis with surgery and antibiotics. In acute osteomyelitis in children or vertebral osteomyelitis, surgery isn't always necessary.

There are different types of surgeries depending on what bone is infected. Surgery may include:

• Draining the infected area
• Removing diseased bone and tissue
• Restoring blood flow to the bone
• Removing any foreign objects

Antibiotics,: If your doctor suspects you have chronic osteomyelitis, he or she works to determine exactly what microorganism is causing the infection before prescribing antibiotics. Your doctor uses a bone biopsy or a piece of bone removed during surgical treatment to determine what's causing the infection.

Once the bacterium or fungus causing your infection has been identified and you've undergone surgery, if necessary, your doctor selects the antibiotic most likely to be effective in fighting your particular type of infection.

Antibiotics are administered most often through a vein in your arm (intravenously) or, in some cases, they can be taken orally. You typically take antibiotics for four to six weeks, or even longer. In some cases, you may need to take antibiotics for the rest of your life.

Antibiotics carry a risk of side effects, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Allergic reactions also can occur. Talk to your doctor about the side effects to expect from your specific medication.

What are Some Lifestyle and Home Remedies?

If you're undergoing treatment for osteomyelitis, take care of your body so that you have a better chance to fight the infection and heal. For example:

• Stop Smoking. If you smoke, quit. Smoking puts you at a high risk for many diseases and conditions. Smoking also slows blood flow to your hands and feet, making it even more difficult for your body to heal and fight infections.
• Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Give your body the support it needs to fight infection by eating a healthy antioxidant-rich diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables. Please see my Fruits and Vegetables Page .
• Take Natural Supplements Daily. Help your body build an immune system to fight infections and diseases. I highly recommend Super ORAC due to the high ORAC Value (antioxidant power) that helps fight off these infections and diseases.
• Work to get control of your health. If you have diabetes or another disease or condition that affects your ability to fight infections, follow your doctor's instructions and make lifestyle modifications to help you better control your condition such as increasing your antioxidants.

  Even if your osteomyelitis is controlled, continue following your doctor's instructions closely. This may help prevent osteomyelitis from returning in the future.

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