Bone tuberculosis particularly affects the spine, a condition known as Pott’s disease, the hip or knee joint and especially affects children or the elderly, with a weakened immune system.This disease occurs because the bacillus, responsible for tuberculosis in the lungs, can enter the airways, reach the bloodstream and stay in the joints.
Nearly half of cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis relate to tuberculosis of the spine, followed by tuberculosis of the hip and knee.Treatment for all includes taking antibiotics prescribed by your doctor and physical therapy for a few months.
What are the symptoms
Symptoms of bone tuberculosis vary widely and tend to get worse over time.The most common symptoms are:
Diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis takes time because initial symptoms may indicate only limited pain and movement of the affected joint, a very common symptom in the case of transient hip synovitis, a more common childhood disease.
With increased severity and the permanence of symptoms, after a few months, when you return to your doctor, your doctor may order an x-ray exam of the affected joint that may indicate a small decrease in joint space, which is not always evaluated.. Other imaging tests that may show bone damage include MRI and ultrasound, which may also show signs of infection; however, musculoskeletal tuberculosis has been proven to be when a bacillus is identified in the joint, which can be done by biopsy of synovial fluid or affected bone.
Treatment for bone tuberculosis includes taking antibiotics for 6 to 9 months and physical therapy, which can be helpful in reducing pain and discomfort, increasing joint movement and strengthening muscles.
Bone tuberculosis is curable, but you should take medicines prescribed by your doctor at the same time, every day, even if the symptoms of the disease have already disappeared.Physical therapy is also indicated and can be done 2 to 5 times.per week, and electrotherapeutic resources, joint mobilization, stretching and strengthening exercises can be used for muscle mass recovery.
Bone tuberculosis is not contagious and therefore the individual does not need to stay away from others.
Bone tuberculosis occurs when the victim comes into contact with another person with pulmonary tuberculosis, who has a cough.The bacillus enters the victim’s body through the airways, reaches the blood and settles inside the spine, hip or knee.classic signs and symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis, but the fact that you had this disease and did not perform treatment properly increases the chances that bacillus will affect other areas of the body.
When treatment is not performed, the bacillus in the joint causes complications such as bone deformity, fatigue, shortening of the legs, which can promote scoliosis and even paralysis.