CONDITION: Septic Arthritis

DESCRIPTION:
Septic arthritis, also known as infectious or bacterial arthritis, is an infection of the synovial fluid and tissues of a joint. Synovial fluid keeps the joints lubricated and helps the bones move smoothly around the joint. Septic arthritis can strike anyone and at any age, but is most common among children and the elderly. People who use intravenous drugs, have a bacterial infection such as endocarditis, or have a condition that damages the joints such as rheumatoid arthritis are at a higher risk for developing this condition. It can damage bone as well as cartilage, and can lead to septic shock, which is potentially fatal.

How does septic arthritis develop?
Septic arthritis is caused by bacteria or, less commonly, by viruses or fungi that have entered a joint through an open wound or that have traveled through the bloodstream from an infection elsewhere in the body. Bacteria can get into a joint through the bloodstream, surgery, an injection or injury that directly contaminates the joint. The cause of septic arthritis in infants and young children is usually Staphylococci, Hemophilus influenzae, and gram-negative bacilli. In older children and adults, Gonococci, Staphylococci, and Streptococci are more commonly involved. Mycobacteria, which cause tuberculosis, and the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, can also bring about septic arthritis. Intravenous drug users and people with diseases that weaken the immune system, such as HIV, are more likely to have septic arthritis caused by gram-negative bacteria. The Staphylococcus organism can also be introduced to a joint during arthroscopic and prosthetic joint surgery.

What are the symptoms of septic arthritis?
Septic arthritis symptoms occur suddenly and are characterized by severe pain, swelling, fever, chills and a joint that is warm to the touch. The symptoms usually occur in the knee, but can also affect the ankle, hip, finger, wrist, elbow and shoulder. The joint may swell and stiffen because of accumulated fluid. An infected hip joint will cause groin pain that gets worse with movement such as walking. Infants with septic arthritis will appear fussy because of the associated fever and pain, and will not move the affected joint.

Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of septic arthritis, but they do not address the root of the problem. By strengthening weaknesses and addressing imbalances in the body, as natural medicine treatments do, septic arthritis pain may be alleviated permanently.

Discover why we believe that natural medicine treatments are the best way to treat septic arthritis.

Learn about the treatments for Septic Arthritis