Infectious arthritis (purulent, pyogenic, septic) - joint damage associated with the ingress of pyogenic microorganisms. Infectious diseases of the joints

Aches or pains in all joints may appear due to past infectious diseases. A joint complication usually occurs as a result of the body's immune response to a viral or bacterial infection. Bacteria that enter the body enter the joints from a distant site of infection through the bloodstream or by direct infection of nearby tissues during surgery, injection, or trauma.

Etiology and pathogenesis

Infectious diseases occur as a result of pathogenic microbes entering the body, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, etc.

It is assumed that due to the presence of antigens in microorganisms, similar to the antigens of the articular tissues of the human body, the immune system is not able to distinguish between them, and therefore attacks both microbes and joints. Pathogenic microorganisms can affect joints in different ways:

It is possible for the infection to spread directly to the joint tissues, which can provoke severe septic arthritis with damage to nearby tissues. Risk factors:
- joint surgery;
- prosthesis;
- skin infection;
- use of non-sterile drug injection needles;
- injury.
There is a risk of penetration of the pathogen into places remote from the joints (nasopharynx, genitourinary and digestive organs), causing an inflammatory process. appear as a secondary protective reaction to infection, sometimes after recovery (reactive arthritis). Joint problems are caused by the following microorganisms:
- Staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus and other gram-negative bacteria in young children give complications to the joints;
- bacteria that cause sexually transmitted diseases, Lyme disease, various types of staphylococcus aureus and intestinal infections that are associated with bacteria such as salmonella, klebsiella, shigella, etc.
- HIV, rubella virus, mumps, hepatitis B and C, etc.
Sometimes, after the disease, non-dangerous joint pain (arthralgia) or rapidly passing arthritis appear. Such manifestations are usually not a cause for serious concern.

Symptoms of joint complications

In septic arthritis, the joint becomes hot and red.

The infection can develop in both natural and artificial joints, causing severe pain that appears hours or days after infection. The knees and ankles are most commonly affected. Sometimes the pain migrates to different parts of the body, sometimes it moves to the spine. The most characteristic symptoms of articular complications are shown in the table:

Treatment of the disease

Traditional Methods

Joint disease itself is not contagious, but the infection that caused it can be dangerous to others.

Folk remedies

In addition to the main treatment, you can prepare a tincture on chestnut inflorescences.

Purslane garden. Take 1 tbsp. spoon, poured with water and boiled for 10 minutes, then infused and filtered. Drinking 1 tbsp. spoon 3-4 times a day.
Horse chestnut flowers. Take 20 g of raw materials, insist on vodka (0.5 l) for 2 weeks. Apply for rubbing into sore spots.

Recipes for septic arthritis:

Prepare a mixture of coarse salt (2 tablespoons), mustard powder (1 tablespoon) and a small amount of kerosene until a viscous mass is obtained. Rub into places of increased soreness, and then wrap yourself warmly. Apply once a day, preferably at night.
Mix sunflower oil (2 tablespoons), vodka and turpentine, 0.5 cups each. Use the composition for compresses at night.

Prevention of joint pain due to infection

To avoid infection, you must:

Observe the rules of personal hygiene.
Dress warmly in cold weather, as the culprit for pain and aching bones and joints can be flu, tonsillitis or acute respiratory infections.
Avoid promiscuity. Septic arthritis that affects the joints is common in young, sexually active people. Complications are caused by gonococcus and lead to.
Eat fully and properly, since infection of the alimentary tract often occurs in the presence of gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers.
Undergo preventive examinations to detect early tuberculosis. Mantoux reaction in children, planned fluorography will help to avoid dangerous tuberculous arthritis.

Hardening contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system.

To prevent complications in viral and bacterial diseases is important.

The article discusses infectious arthritis. We talk about the causes of its appearance, signs and diagnosis. You will learn about the necessary therapy and possible complications.

Infectious (purulent) arthritis is a severe inflammatory disease of the joints, which can lead to their rapid destruction. This disease is associated with the penetration of various infectious agents into the tissues of the joints, for example, in septic conditions.

Infectious arthritis is the largest group, which includes the totality of all infectious and inflammatory conditions - autoimmune, allergic, reactive, etc.
Allocate:

Primary purulent arthritis - infectious agents act directly on the articular cavity at the time of joint damage.
Secondary purulent arthritis - the impact of microorganisms falls on the tissues surrounding the joint or in a hematogenous way, namely, through the blood (sepsis, gonorrhea).

The risk of developing purulent arthritis increases in the following cases:

chronic rheumatoid arthritis;
serious systemic infections;
homosexuality;
some types of oncology;
alcohol and drug addiction;
diabetes;
sickle cell anemia;
systemic lupus erythematosus;
surgery or joint injury;
intraarticular injections.

Types of Infectious Arthritis

Currently, in medical practice there are more than a dozen varieties of infectious arthritis, the main of which are seropositive rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Seropositive rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease, manifested by joint damage, as well as systemic changes in internal organs and blood vessels. This disease is very common among people, as it is observed in 80% of the population.

In no case should you delay the treatment of this type of arthritis, as this can lead to sad consequences. The causes of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis have not been fully identified, which negatively affects preventive measures. Presumably, the appearance of the disease is influenced by various viruses and mycoplasmas, the accompanying factors for which are: heredity, trauma, stress, toxins and age over forty years.

Rheumatoid arthritis is autoimmune in nature, that is, the immunoglobulins of the human body begin to bring him not good, but harm. This type of arthritis is easily treatable if the visit to the doctor is not delayed;

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory chronic joint disease that develops in adolescents under the age of sixteen. The causes of this type of disease also remain a mystery.
The hypothetical causes of the emergence and development of this disease are considered: bacterial and viral infections, hypothermia, injuries, protein preparations, insolation and others.

The main factor for the development of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, according to most medical scientists, is the formation of a complex, little-studied immune response of the human body to various environmental factors, causing the development of a progressive disease.

The prognosis of this type of arthritis is not very favorable, since fifty percent of patients can expect remission. Only fifteen percent are subject to the occurrence of blindness and one-third - relapses.

Causes of Infectious Arthritis

As a rule, purulent arthritis is caused by viral, fungal or bacterial infections that enter the joint with the bloodstream, at the time of surgery, or in other favorable ways. The appearance of disease-causing factors depends on the age group of the patient.

To newborn children, the disease is transmitted from the mother in the presence of gonococcal infection in her body. Also, children can catch purulent arthritis during various hospital procedures, for example, when inserting a catheter.

The causative agents of the disease in infants are haemophilus influenzae or staphylococcus aureus. For children from two years of age and adults, streptococcus pyogenes and streptococcus viridans act as causative agents of infectious arthritis. For sexually active people, the cause of joint disease is Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and for the elderly, Salmonella and Pseudomonas.

Symptoms of Infectious Arthritis

There are reactive, infectious and post-infectious arthritis, the division of which is very conditional, since even modern advanced technology cannot always determine the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in the tissues of the joint. Infectious arthritis is caused by pyogenic organisms: streptococcus, staphylococcus, proteus, pneumococci and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The disease manifests itself several hours after infection and development in the form of acute pain and limitation of passive and active movements. There is weakness, chills and body temperature rises. In the area of the affected joint, swelling and redness of the surrounding tissues occur.

In children, this ailment manifests itself in the form of subtle erased symptoms, expressed as a slight soreness after a long physical exertion. The development of the disease continues for several months, after which more serious manifestations occur.

Purulent arthritis in children is a serious danger to health and even life, as it can lead to the destruction of cartilage and bone tissue, as well as cause septic shock, which is fatal. Symptoms of this disease in a child's body are expressed in the form of fever, soreness of damaged areas of the body, chills, as well as vomiting and nausea.

General clinical picture:

Sharp pain on movement
Localization of joints: knee, shoulder, wrist, small joint of the hand and foot, sacroiliac (for drug addicts);
Signs of the inflammatory process: fever, swelling, local hyperemia;
Syndrome of dermatitis - periarthritis.

The diagnosis is based on a typical x-ray picture, a set of characteristic symptoms and the results of a microbiological study.

What joints can be affected

This disease is typical for all age groups, including newborns. For adults, the joints or hands that carry the main weight load usually suffer. In children, this disease usually affects the knee, hip or shoulder joints.

Since purulent arthritis can cause a forced position of the limbs, there are certain external signs of this disease:

Shoulder joint - the shoulder has a depressed appearance, the diseased arm is in a position bent at the elbow and supported by a healthy one;
Elbow joint - the protrusion of the elbow looks smoothed, the arm is in a slightly bent position, on one side of the joint there may be a painful rounded formation;
Wrist joint - the joint is sharply deformed, which contributes to the flexion of the hand to the side;
Hip joint - the formation of edema in the area of the affected joint, the inability to support the leg;
Knee joint - a bent leg and an abnormally shaped joint impede movement;
Ankle joint - the foot has an elevated appearance, movements are limited.

Diagnostics

The final diagnosis of purulent arthritis is put forward by a specialist after passing all the necessary laboratory tests, studying the medical record and examining the patient. Symptoms of this type of disease are also inherent in other diseases, so a thorough examination of the patient before treatment is required.

In some cases, patients are assigned an additional consultation with a rheumatologist or orthopedist in order to avoid an erroneous diagnosis. To confirm the diagnosis, the following studies are prescribed:

Joint puncture - examination of synovial fluid;
Culture and biopsy - examination of the synovial tissues surrounding the affected joint;
Blood and urine cultures - a study of the biochemical and bacterial state of the body.

Hardware diagnostics of infectious arthritis in the first two weeks after the onset of the disease is inactive. That is why, at the first signs of the disease, doctors prescribe other studies that can be used to recognize arthritis in the early stages and begin its treatment.

Treatment of infectious arthritis

If infectious arthritis is detected, the patient must be provided with inpatient treatment for several days, followed by physiotherapy sessions and taking medications for several months or weeks, depending on the stage of the disease.

Medicines are used for delayed therapy, which can cause serious joint damage or other complications. For this reason, the introduction of intravenous injections with antibiotics is prescribed immediately after the discovery of this pathology, prior to the precise determination of the pathogens. After identifying the causative agent of an infectious disease, a patient with infectious arthritis is prescribed a drug that acts on a specific virus or bacterium.

Anti-inflammatory non-steroidal drugs are prescribed by a course of intravenous injections for two weeks or until the inflammatory process disappears. After intravenous administration of antibiotics, a four-week course of antibacterial agents in capsules or tablets is prescribed.

Surgery is necessary in situations that require surgical drainage of infected joints. This applies only to those patients who have a certain resistance or resistance to antibiotics, or for people who have joint damage in places that are difficult to access for puncture. A penetrating wound is also the reason for surgery in the presence of purulent arthritis.

For patients with severe lesions of cartilage and bones, reconstructive surgery is used, which is performed only after a complete cure for infection.

Concomitant therapy and medical supervision is an inpatient treatment during which the patient is carefully monitored. A sample of synovial fluid is sent for culture daily to monitor the body's response to the effects of antibiotics.

In connection with the painful symptoms of the disease, special pain-relieving procedures are provided for patients in the hospital, in the form of complex treatment: taking special drugs and applying compresses to the affected joints.

In rare cases, immobilization is performed, which is the imposition of a splint on the leg or arm, to ensure the immobility of the arthritic joint. Also, therapeutic exercises are carried out for each patient in a hospital, aimed at expanding the range of motion and a speedy recovery.

The main goal in the treatment of purulent arthritis is to suppress the activity of the inflammatory process, acting in the most appropriate way on the causes of its occurrence.

Complications

Infectious arthritis is a protracted disease of a peculiar nature, which entails the possibility of developing the following diseases: purulent inflammation of tissues, sepsis. Inflammation of bones, displacement of bones, torn ligaments, sprains and dislocations, and dehydration of the affected joint.

With timely antibiotic treatment of septic arthritis, the prognosis is favorable, which indicates the possibility of complete recovery of the affected areas of the body.

Thus, each person should understand that any disease in the early stages of occurrence in most cases can be treated. You should not delay a visit to the doctor when the first signs of purulent arthritis appear, since the advanced stage of the disease can lead to adverse consequences.

The provocateurs of any infection that affects the joints in the human body are various microorganisms: bacteria or viruses. Infectious arthritis is a frequent consequence of the penetration of microorganisms into human joints.

It has been established which infections cause inflammation and pain in the joints. Most often they are pathologies of the respiratory system, the genitourinary system and the gastrointestinal tract. Different types of microorganisms can lead to the development of a joint infection.

Often the causes of joint problems are:

salmonella, which provoke intestinal infections and give complications to other organs;
Klebsiella, related to enterobacteria and causing pneumonia, meningitis, blood poisoning and infections of the genitourinary system;
shigella, often provoking dysentery, but also able to penetrate the joints and provoke an inflammatory process in them;
golden staphylococcus aureus;
epidermal staphylococcus aureus;
hemolytic streptococcus;
gonococci that provoke gonorrhea, as well as infectious arthritis in women (3% of cases) and men (0.7%);
meningococci, which are provocateurs of inflammation of the meninges.

The penetration of various viruses into the body also leads to complications on the joints. Rubella and hepatitis are among them. A common cause of joint damage is HIV infection.

The nature of the pain and additional symptoms

Infections provoke discomfort in all types of joints. It can be both natural and artificial joints. Bacteria and viruses can infect human joint prostheses, which is also manifested by pain.

Infections can be specific. The nature of pain varies depending on many factors and the degree of damage to the joints. More often they migrate throughout the body: knees are predominantly affected, inflammation often occurs in the ankle area, pain can cover the spinal region. In the case of inflammation of the joint, pain can be both mild and severe, unbearable.

Infectious arthritis comes with many symptoms. Symptoms may go beyond joint pain. Most often, the patient is concerned about the strong redness of the affected area and its swelling. The local temperature rises significantly.

Infectious arthritis, provoked by gonococcus, at the first stage can proceed without obvious signs of joint damage. First, the infection is localized in the genital area, after which it spreads throughout the body. When it affects mainly the elbow joints.

It has the following additional features:

tearing;
inflammatory process in the genitourinary system;
development of conjunctivitis;
intense burning in the eyes.

Symptoms of an infection in the joints, occurring in a septic form, appear as:

fever;
nausea;
vomiting;
severe chills;
sweating;
inflammation of the lymph nodes.

With the disease, joint pain often migrates. There is also severe aching in the area of \u200b\u200bmuscles and bones.

Risk of complications

Infectious diseases of the joints, if not properly treated, can lead to serious consequences. Joint immobility can be a possible complication. This occurs as a result of the fusion of the ends of the bones that articulate with each other.

The state is called . It can only be treated with surgery.

Osteomyelitis is also a common complication of the disease. With it, a purulent process occurs in the bone itself and adjacent tissues. This disease is associated with the further penetration of bacteria into bone structures.

Somewhat less often, the infection gives complications to the hip joint. In such cases, the patient develops an inflammation called coxitis. The disease is fraught with disability, a person becomes disabled.

Important! A consequence of complications of infectious arthritis may be the development of asymmetry of some limbs. Due to inflammation in the patient, their length changes. One limb may become larger than the other.

Treatment

Therapy for the disease is complex. It is based on medicines. Additionally, folk remedies can be prescribed with them. In the absence of the effectiveness of these methods, patients are indicated for surgical intervention.

Preparations

Bacterial arthritis is treated with antibiotics. They form the basis of therapy. The type of antibacterial agent depends on the type of microbe that causes the infection. If streptococcus became the provocateur of the disease, the patient is being treated with Vancomycin and Penicillin. The daily norm of the first drug is 2 g, the second - up to 10 million units.

To fight staphylococci"Clindamycin" with "Cefalothin" are intended. For a day, 2 g of the first drug and 8 g of the second are enough. Meningococcal and gonococcal infections are treated with a combination of Ceftriaxone and Penicillin.

For the first set dose of 1 g once a day. In this case, the drug is prescribed in the form of an injection - it is administered intramuscularly. "Penicillin" is administered at 50 thousand units every 4 hours.

Infections caused by gram-negative bacteria are treated with a combination of two drugs. The first of these is "Gentamicin", which is administered intramuscularly every 8 hours. The second remedy is "Ampicillin" (you can replace it with "Penicillin").

In the presence of additional symptoms, patients are also prescribed:

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (and);
glucocorticosteroids in the form of injections ();
immunosuppressants (if the patient has developed rheumatoid arthritis).

Additionally, the patient undergoes physiotherapy. He may be prescribed massage therapy.

Operative therapy

Surgery is indicated in cases where the infection has affected the hip joint. In such cases, inflammation is accompanied by an accumulation of pus in it. Before the operation, it is washed with asepsis, and drainage is also carried out.

During the operation, part of the affected joint or the whole of it can be excised. In the second case, it is replaced with an artificial one.

A disease that affects the joints of artificial origin is also treated with surgery. In its process, the surfaces of the joint that have been infected are removed. Then they are replaced with healthy ones. The operation involves the complete replacement of the endoprosthesis with a new one. The procedure is called revision arthroplasty.

Alternative methods of therapy

The disease can be treated with folk remedies along with prescribed medications. With reactive arthritis, you can prepare an infusion based on horse chestnut.

The flowers of the plant are taken as the basis - 20 g is enough. The mixture is poured into 0.6 liters of vodka and infused for 14 days. The resulting infusion is carefully rubbed into painful areas several times a day.

Septic arthritis is treated with a mixture of kerosene, mustard powder and salt. The mass should be viscous. To do this, you need to take a large spoonful of mustard powder and two tablespoons of coarse salt.

Kerosene is added to the mixture in a small amount. The mass is rubbed into the affected joints, after which they are carefully wrapped with a warm cloth. It is recommended to use the remedy once a day before going to bed.

Preventive actions

To avoid the occurrence of infections that affect the joints, you can in the following ways:

constant hardening of the body;
adherence to proper nutrition;
wearing warm clothes during cold weather;
avoidance of promiscuity;
regular examinations by specialists;
moderate exercise.

Conclusion

Provocateurs of infections in which joints are affected are numerous bacteria and viruses. Diseases can manifest themselves with a variety of symptoms and lead to severe complications, up to disability.

Treatment of infections includes a set of measures. Drug therapy must be supplemented with physiotherapy, as well as folk remedies. If necessary, patients undergo replacement of infected joints.

Infectious arthritis is a disease that is characterized by severe damage to the joints against the background of a bacterial or fungal infection. The disease affects people of any age, but mostly occurs in children and people over 60 years of age. The modern development of surgical technologies and medicines has practically not changed the picture of the prevalence of the disease, so today, like many years ago, every third patient develops an irreversible loss of joint function.

Causes

As the name suggests, the main cause of the disease is a fungal, bacterial or viral infection. However, depending on age, it enters the body in a specific way and under the influence of various risk factors. For example, infectious arthritis in infants is more likely to occur in families where the mother had gonorrhea during pregnancy. If a child has a catheter in the hospital, the risk of the disease is increased. In children under the age of two years, the disease is more often caused by Haemophilus influenzae and Staphylococcus aureus. In older children, the joints are affected by Staphylococcus aureus and bacteria of the genus Streptococcus viridans and Streptococcus pyogenes.

The disease affects adolescents due to an active sexual life. They most commonly carry the neisseria gonorrhoeae virus, better known as gonococcus, the microorganism that causes gonorrhea.

In older age, infectious arthritis is most often caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Pathogenic microorganisms enter the joints with the bloodstream, but rarely - and during surgery or intra-articular injections. There are certain high-risk groups, which include patients with chronic rheumatoid arthritis, carriers of complex systemic infections, including HIV and gonorrhea, people who prefer homosexual sexual preferences, cancer patients, people with alcohol and drug addiction, diabetics, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or sickle cell anemia. In addition, those who have recently undergone joint surgery, as well as patients who are prescribed intra-articular injections, should be checked at the first symptoms of infectious arthritis.

Symptoms

Since the joints are affected by different types of pathogens in infancy, adolescence, and old age, the symptoms of the disease are also of a different nature. Common signs include pain in the affected joint that only gets worse with movement. As the disease progresses, the joint swells, its contour changes. The patient's temperature rises, the skin turns red. Over time, the limb of the patient is deformed.

In children, infectious arthritis most commonly presents with fever, joint pain, and restlessness. The child cannot always explain what exactly worries him, but instinctively limits the movement of the affected limb, since touching the joint is rather painful. In infants, symptoms develop gradually, which cannot be said about adolescents and adults - they are characterized by a sudden onset of the disease. The main symptoms in older age are sudden reddening of the joint, fever and soreness in the affected area, due to the inflammatory process. Fluid accumulates in the diseased joint, due to which swelling is formed, and mobility is reduced. Chills are possible.

The characteristic symptoms of the disease include the localization of the lesion - most often it is the knee, shoulder, wrist, hip, elbow joint. Finger joints are often affected. If the disease is caused by causative agents of tuberculosis or a fungal infection, the symptoms are less pronounced. These microorganisms affect mainly one joint, rarely two or three. A symptom of infectious arthritis of gonococcal and viral nature is the defeat of many joints at the same time.

Diagnostics

Lack of timely treatment can lead to the fact that the affected joint will collapse within a few days. Diagnosis includes the collection of joint fluid for analysis for leukocytes and the presence of painful microflora. The fluid taken from the affected joint is usually cloudy and contains purulent flakes, as well as a high percentage of white blood cells. Gram-staining identifies gram-positive bacteria, and culture allows you to clarify the gram-negative type of the pathogen. If neither staining nor culture can identify the pathogen, a biopsy of synovial tissue near the joint is performed. In addition to the puncture, a blood, sputum, cerebrospinal fluid and urine test may be prescribed.

Diagnosis should also differentiate infectious arthritis from other possible diseases with similar symptoms - Lyme disease, rheumatic fever, gout, etc. In some situations, the diagnosis is helped by determining the nature of the pain and the location of the affected areas.

Treatment

The disease requires urgent medical and long-term physiotherapy treatment, since in a short time it can lead to irreversible damage to the joints. At the first suspicion, antibiotics are prescribed even before the final diagnosis. Treatment may be adjusted later after the specific causative agent has been identified. For example, with a viral infection, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. Further therapy includes a two-week antibiotic regimen, which may be continued depending on signs of inflammation. The doctor may extend antibiotic therapy for two or four weeks.

In the case when the infection is resistant to antibiotics or the affected joint is difficult to access for puncture, an operation to drain the joint is prescribed. This method of treatment is used for penetrating gunshot wounds. If the cartilage and bones are particularly severe, surgery may be prescribed to reconstruct the joint, but before that, measures are taken to treat the infection.

Treatment usually requires pain medication. A compress can be applied to the inflamed areas, and to prevent accidental movements, the affected joint is fixed with a splint. During the recovery period, the patient is prescribed exercises that gradually increase the amplitude of joint mobility. Therapeutic exercise should not lead to pain.

Among all diseases of the musculoskeletal system, various infections of the joints and bones are very common. They are able to provoke complications, spreading to neighboring tissues, and therefore the initial symptoms cannot be ignored. Timely treatment is an important condition for maintaining human health and full physical activity.

First, let's take a closer look: what is a joint infection. The essence of such diseases lies in the fact that pathogenic microorganisms penetrate into the joint cavity or the soft tissues surrounding it. They can affect bone tissue, which is a very serious problem.

Symptoms of a bone and joint infection are as follows:

discomfort in the affected area;
increasing pain;
local increase in temperature, with the spread of infection - general hyperthermia;
redness of the skin over the joint;
swelling, accumulation of fluid;
development of necrotic processes;
manifestations of intoxication of the body (nausea, general malaise);
enlarged lymph nodes;
difficulty in motor function;
curvature of the joint.

With pyogenic inflammation, blanching of the skin, a local decrease in temperature, pus can be seen through the skin, and when it breaks, it comes out.

Causes and provoking factors

The main cause of infectious diseases of the musculoskeletal system are pathogenic microorganisms, in particular viruses and fungi. The most common provocateur is streptococcus.

What infections affect the joints:

streptococci;
staphylococci;
salmonella;
coli;
brucella;
fungal origin;
herpes;
pale treponema (syphilis);
smallpox, rubella, hepatitis, etc.

They can enter the joint cavity both directly and indirectly, that is, with the bloodstream in the presence of an infection in the body.

The provoking factors of infection with such diseases are:

trauma, especially open fractures;
stab and gunshot wounds;
hypothermia of the body;
weakened immunity;
surgical interventions;
installation of ligatures;
infectious diseases of other body systems;
inflammatory processes in the surrounding soft tissues.

Types of diseases

Based on which infections affect the joints, it is possible to identify the main diseases that occur most often.

Let's look at them in more detail in the table:

Name and photo	Short description
Small inflammatory forms	This group includes pathologies associated with the formation of small local foci of inflammation. Most often they are provoked by injuries or surgical interventions. For example, an infection of the knee joint after a fall can lead to the formation of an abscess.
Tendinitis	Inflammation of the tendons, may cover the area attached to the bone, or to the muscle. A rupture or partial tear of the tendon can be a complication.
Synovitis	Inflammation of the synovium. Accompanied by increased secretion of synovial fluid, which is expressed in the formation of effusion.
Bursitis	Inflammation of the joint bag, with the accumulation of serous or purulent exudate, sometimes with bloody impurities, depending on the type of pathogen.
Arthritis	General name for inflammatory joint disease. It can be both an independent pathology and accompany other pathologies of the body.
Dropsy	Dropsy of the joint is also known as hydrarthrosis. As a result of the development of the inflammatory process, fluid accumulates in the cavity of the articular joint.
Rheumatoid arthritis	It is mainly a consequence of autoimmune disorders in the body, but often it is infections that provoke them.
	There is a dystrophic change in the cartilaginous tissue, which can also be triggered by the penetration of infection into the joint. The spine is most commonly affected.
Osteomyelitis	Bones and bone marrow are affected, most often under the influence of pyogenic microorganisms, purulent-necrotic destruction of the affected areas occurs.

Diagnostics

When the first symptoms of problems with the musculoskeletal system appear, you should immediately go to the hospital. Only a doctor will be able to establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the necessary treatment, which will prevent the development of complications.

To determine which infections that affect the joints are provocateurs of the disease in a particular case, it is necessary to conduct a series of laboratory tests.

This includes:

general blood test;
blood chemistry;
puncture of the contents of the joint with further bacteriological examination.

Additionally, tests are carried out for the susceptibility of identified microorganisms to certain types of antibiotics.

In order to determine the type of disease, as well as the extent of the spread of the inflammatory process, the patient is assigned additional instrumental studies:

radiography;
scintigraphy;
arthroscopy.

Areas of inflammation, especially if purulent accumulations, will look darkened on diagnostic images. The most accurate method is tomography, as it allows you to examine in more detail the condition of the bone and its surrounding soft tissues.

Treatment Methods

Infectious lesions of the knee joints and other particularly mobile areas of the musculoskeletal system require temporary immobilization. This will reduce pain and swelling, as well as prevent the problem from getting worse.

Instructions for further treatment depend on what kind of diagnosis was established during the examination.

For a complete therapy, the following areas can be used:

Taking medication. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and corticosteroid agents are required to relieve inflammation. They relieve symptoms and relieve pain. To combat the infection itself, a suitable antibiotic, antiviral or antifungal drug is selected. In the presence of wounds, regular antiseptic treatment is required. Medicines are used in the form of tablets, injections, intravenous infusions, as well as in the form of ointments and creams for local action on the source of the problem.
Physiotherapy. After the infection is eliminated and the inflammation is relieved, auxiliary therapeutic procedures can be started using special equipment and medications. Most often, electrophoresis, magnetic therapy, UHF, etc. are used.
Surgical intervention. Infectious diseases are often accompanied by suppuration and tissue necrosis, which requires debridement and arthroplasty. In the rehabilitation period, it is important to prevent the re-introduction of pathogenic microorganisms into the wound.
Folk remedies. After removing the acute manifestations of inflammation by traditional methods, you can turn to folk recipes. Their price is minimal, but they can be used to stimulate tissue repair. To strengthen the immune system, it is recommended to drink herbal decoctions: raspberry leaf, St. John's wort, chamomile. Grated raw potatoes, cabbage leaves, sea buckthorn oil are applied to the diseased joint.
exercise therapy. To restore normal motor ability after the main course of treatment, physical rehabilitation is necessary. To do this, it is recommended to perform special exercises, specially selected for the patient, depending on the state of his health. They strengthen atrophied muscles and ligaments, increase flexibility, stimulate blood circulation and increase the range of motion in the joint. All this is necessary for the full regeneration of tissues.

Preventive actions

In order to reduce the likelihood of developing such diseases, special attention should be paid to their prevention, especially if there is an increased risk of pathogen penetration.

hypothermia protection;
prevention of traumatic injuries;
compliance with hygiene standards in the presence of wounds on the body, regular antiseptic treatment;
passing a prophylactic antibacterial course according to the doctor's indications;
compliance with precautionary measures in the rehabilitation period after surgical interventions, in particular osteosynthesis procedures;
general strengthening of immunity;
timely treatment of colds and other diseases of an infectious and viral nature;
if an infection in the joints was previously detected, do not delay treatment until the pathological process has spread to the bone tissue.

To learn more about joint and bone infections, watch the video in this article.