Bone Infection Health Video

Bone infections are caused by bacteria and can be treated with antibiotics, get expert tips and advice on medical treatments in this video.

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About this Author

Jonathon J. Uy, DPM is a board-certified podiatrist from the American Board of Multiple Specialties in Podiatry, Prevention and Treatment of diabetic foot wounds and in diabetic footwear. He holds degrees from the Barry University, the School of Podiatric Medicine in Miami Shores, Fla. and Boston University College of Engineering in Boston, Mass. He obtained a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree and a Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering, respectively. Uy did his postgraduate training at the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco, MedPremises Surgery Center in San Diego, and at the BUSPM/Columbia Cedars Medical Center in Miami, Fla. Uy also holds many memberships and positions on some of the finest podiatric boards and associations in the country.

JONATHON UY, M.D.: Hello, my name is Dr. Jonathon Uy and I'm going to talk about bone infections of the foot. Bone infections of the foot is basically is when bacteria or some microorganism enters the bone. These bacterial infections are usually occurred due to trauma or ulcerations. Symptoms of bone infections usually include swelling and pain of the infected area. Sometimes there maybe associated ulcers or wounds on the foot which is usually the cause of the bone infection where the bacteria enters the body. The treatment of bone infection consists of diagnostic tools to determine if there is a bone infection. These include x-rays, bone scans, or MRIs. Sometimes, these images of the bones are not definitive means to determine if there is bone infection. There are sometimes some percentages of error. Typically, it is best to correlate it with the signs and symptoms of the foot problem but the most definitive diagnosis is a biopsy of the bone to determine if there is a bacterial infection. Once a bone infection has been diagnosed, antibiotics are necessary. Antibiotics maybe administered orally or intravenously. Depending on the severity of the bone infection, antibiotics maybe administered either orally or intravenously. In very severe cases if the bone infection has involved a significant amount of bone, amputation of the bone is necessary. Because bone infections usually are associated with wounds or ulcers of the foot, in order to prevent infections, it is necessary to make sure that the wounds are treated properly and prevent from further infections through the soft tissue which may transmit the bacteria to the bone. If a wound occurs in the foot, it is best to seek professional help immediately particularly infection of the skin is suspected because if not properly treated, the infection may travel deep into the bone which may lead to amputation of part of the foot or the entire foot.