• Bone pain
• Fever
• General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill-feeling (malaise)
• Local swelling, redness, and warmth

Other symptoms that may occur with this disease:

• Chills
• Excessive sweating
• Low back pain
• Swelling of the ankles, feet, and legs

A physical examination shows bone tenderness and possibly swelling and redness.

Tests may include:

• Blood cultures
• Bone biopsy (which is then cultured)
• Bone scan
• Bone x-ray
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• C-reactive protein (CRP)
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
• MRI of the bone
• Needle aspiration of the area around affected bones

Images

Skeleton

X-ray

Osteomyelitis

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Osteomyelitis Overview

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Osteomyelitis Treatment

Review Date: 05/25/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)