Can Lyme Disease Affect Your Joints? Orthopaedic Surgeon Answers
Lyme Disease - Overview
The
number of tick (small spider-like insects that attach to the skin of humans and
other animals) bites and cases of Lyme disease increase as the weather gets
hotter. Lyme disease is caused by microorganisms called Borrelia burgdorferi, a bacteria that is transmitted by a deer tick
bite. According to the best orthopaedic surgeon, early Lyme disease symptoms include fever, tiredness, and, in some
cases, a bullseye rash called erythema migrans.
How does Lyme Disease affect Joints
If
an early infection is undetected or is asymptomatic and untreated, the disease
can progress to the heart, nerves, brain, and even the joints, resulting in
Lyme arthritis (joint inflammation).
Lyme
arthritis most usually affects one joint, generally the knee, and appears as
pain and swelling without any injury or damage, explains the orthopaedic specialist in North Kolkata.
According
to the orthopaedic specialist, as Lyme disease spreads, patients experience
heated, swollen joints with greater pain when the knee or joint is fully
straightened or bent. The doctor also states that the joint swelling can
increase and decrease, travel across joints, and become highly painful,
limiting one's ability to walk at times.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Lyme
disease is diagnosed through laboratory testing. Antibiotics, fortunately, can
successfully treat the disease. Patients may require orthopaedic surgery to
treat fluid build-up, if joint swelling worsens.
When
you're in a public place (e.g., wooded or tall grassy landscapes), it's crucial
to examine your body for exposure from head to toe on a regular basis. To
reduce the risk of long-term degenerative changes in the joints, early
detection and treatment are critical.
If
you have tiredness, joint discomfort, and a fever, or if you detect a tick on
your body, contact your orthopaedic practitioner right away. Save the tick,
if you can, so that your orthopaedic doctor
may examine it.
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