Q. How does one develop infections of the bones and joints?
A. Infection of bone (osteomyelitis) can occur spontaneously or can be secondary to some injury/trauma or surgery. Spontaneously occurring bone infections are more commonly seen in immunocompromised persons.
Similarly, infections of the joints (arthritis) can occur naturally or may be associated with surgeries like TKR (knee replacement) and THR (hip replacement).
Q. Which infections can affect bones and joints?
A. Bacterial, fungal and tuberculous infections, all can result in these infections.
Q. What are the important facts during treatment of infections in bones and joints?
A. Bone and joints are areas of deep seated infections. Treatment of these infections needs expert opinion. Following points should be considered while treating-
a. Adequate sample from the infected area should be collected for testing (culture- to identify the organism) before jumping on to the antibiotics.
b. Injectable antibiotics are preferred over oral medicines, in the initial phase of treatment.
c. Duration of treatment is prolonged- weeks to months.
d. Along with the antibiotics, it is equally important to thoroughly debride/remove the infected tissue/pus. Sometimes the infected prosthesis and implant also needs to be removed for treatment of the infection.
