Osteomyelitis |Overview
Osteomyelitis |Diagnosis and Treatments
How to diagnose osteomyelitis
Your child's doctor will take a complete medical history and do a physical exam and diagnostic tests. Some of those tests may include:
- x-rays
- bone scans(to detect bone diseases and tumors)
- blood tests
Treatment options for osteomyelitis
If you suspect osteomyelitis, it's important to contact your doctor immediately. The goal of treatment is to relieve the pain and completely treat the infection. In most cases, the infection is cured with antibiotic medication. In severe cases, the infection can be very destructive to the bone, surrounding muscles, tendons and blood vessels, which may require the amputation of the infected limb.
Treatment may include:
- antibiotics (to fight the infection)
- pain medications
- surgery (to clean out the infected area in and around the bone)