Septic Arthritis Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis and Treatment

What Is Septic Arthritis?

If, for some reason, bacteria manage to enter our body, it reaches our joints through the blood stream and causes severe pain, known as Septic Arthritis. Hips and knees are two common joints which are more likely to become affected. Pain caused by septic arthritis is very severe. Therefore a person must not delay its treatment or else, the pain can turn worse. Older adults and infants are at an increased risk of developing septic arthritis.

What Are The Symptoms Of Septic Arthritis?

The symptoms start to emerge as soon as the joint gets infected. These include:

Fever
Irritability
Joint swell
Joint redness

As soon as the joint gets infected’ means within few days its symptoms become obvious. Its initial symptoms include minor pain and fever. Ignoring the initial symptoms can later make your condition even worse.

What Causes Septic Arthritis?

Clearly, it can be triggered by a fungal, viral or bacterial infection. Septic arthritis tends to occur when infection develops elsewhere in a body, which reaches a joint by means of bloodstream.

In addition to this, a joint surgery, drug injection or an open wound permits the germs to travel into your joint space.

What Are The Risk Factors Of Septic Arthritis?

One is more likely to experience septic arthritis in case:

Any injury to the joint lately.
Has recently gone through a joint surgery.
A person has some other type of arthritis. This makes the joints more vulnerable to Septic arthritis.
Someone injects himself with a drug that might contain bacteria.
Has a poor immune system.

What Are The Potential Complications Of Septic Arthritis?

In case the treatment of septic arthritis is delayed, the medical condition can lead to some serious complications related to the joint in future including joint degeneration. If left untreated, septic arthritis can also lead permanent damage to the joints.

How Is Septic Arthritis Diagnosed?

There are certain tests that can help diagnose septic arthritis. These include blood culture, X-ray and aspiration of joint fluid. There is a common assumption that an X-ray is a sole diagnostic activity reliable enough to diagnose septic arthritis. However, the mere result of an X-ray is not sufficient enough to ascertain septic arthritis; therefore at least two tests should be conducted.

How Is Septic Arthritis Treated?

In majority cases, septic arthritis is cured by consuming suitable antibiotics along with some exercises which the trainer or a medical expert advices. However, in some cases, a needle is inserted into the affected joint which helps to drain out the infection.
In another cases if the bacteria is found in the artificial joint then there are two options.