What Are the Treatments for Osteomyelitis?

Osteomyelitis is the result of bacteria or fungi invading and infecting your bones. An infection of your bones occurs when bacteria or fungi enter your bloodstream and reach your bones or spread to your surrounding tissue. You may also develop a bone infection resulting from an exposed bone through injury. According to Merck, children, older adults and individuals with serious medical issues are more likely to suffer from osteomyelitis. Treatments may be aggressive to prevent any infection from spreading or to save your bone.

Early Treatment

• If the infection is caught early, antibiotics will be administered. Your physician will try to determine what bacteria is causing your infection. If the cause cannot be identified, then antibiotics usually administered for Staphylococcus areaus will be given. Antibiotics can be given for up to two months intravenously. You will then need to continue an antibiotic treatment with an oral prescription. According to Merck, it may take many months of antibiotic treatments to fight an osteomyelitis infection. If a fungus is the culprit of the infection, antifungal medications will be administered. Antibiotics can cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Surgery

• If the infection is severe, surgery is necessary. Surgery can include any of the following procedures. The infected area (i.e., skin or tissue) may be drained of any fluid that is accumulating around the infected bone. If your bone has become infected, your physician will do a procedure known as debridement. Debridement is the removal of diseased bone. If any tissue is damaged, it will removed as well.

Grafting

• If you have undergone a debridement procedure, your physician will replace removed bone and tissue with tissue or muscle from other parts of your body. At times, a temporary filler can be placed in the empty space until you can undergo a grafting procedure. According to the Mayo Clinic, a grafting procedure can help you repair any damaged vessels and create new bone. Metal plates, rods or screws may be placed into your bone to stabilize your new graft and the bone that was affected by the disease.

Complications

• In very rare instances, osteomyelitis can reoccur. According to the Mayo Clinic, if you have an infection of osteomyelitis that returns, or if the osteomyeltits remains in your body without being detected, this is known as chronic osteomyelitis. If you develop chronic osteomyelitis, your infected bone can die or the bone can collapse. An amputation may be necessary to prevent the spreading of bacteria to other parts of your body or organs.

Prevention

• If you have artificial joints or metal attachments connected to bone matter, you will need to take preventative antibiotics prior to any surgery. This includes dental surgery. According to Merck, if you have artificial joints or metal components, you are at a higher risk of developing an infection from bacteria. If you are at risk of developing infections, avoid getting cuts and scrapes, which would allow bacteria to enter and travel through your bloodstream. If you do receive a cut or scrape, wash the affected area immediately and use a bandage. If there are any signs of infection, such as fever, pus around the wound site, nausea and vomiting, seek immediate medical attention.