Joint pain causes
Unexplained joint pain caused by borreliosis
Unexplained joint pain can come from a tick bite. However, Lyme arthritis, a special form of arthritis, often occurs years after the tick bite. In particular, it affects large joints such as the knee, hip and shoulder. A special treatment of joint pain can help.
Chronic borreliosis can trigger many symptoms. These can occur very differently depending on the phase and the different characteristics. One of the leading symptoms are (jumping) joint pain. The joint pain in borreliosis is due to a bacterial joint inflammation. This is triggered by certain bacteria, which are primarily transmitted by ticks to humans. After four weeks of transmission, tiredness, fever, skin redness and joint pain may occur.
Borreliosis should be included in the causes of joint pain
If inflammation of the joints is present without injury, this may indicate chronic borreliosis. There may be many causes of joint pain. Most people with diseases such as joint pain or joint problems often falsely think of an over-exertion, for example, in sports, arthritis or gout. Most people are not aware of the fact that borreliosis is also a cause of joint pain.
Already after the first weeks and months, joint inflammation can occur, also called Lyme arthritis genannt. Even if the transmission by a trigger for several years.
The malicious and "clever" borreliotic pathogens can remain in the joint, tendons and cartilages for a long period of time without being detected by the immune system. Activation of the Borrelia after a long latency phase usually occurs when the immune system is weakened for various reasons. In the case of unexplained pain in the joints or inflammations, a disease (chronic) borreliosis should be thought of as a cause.
Inflammation of the joints often occurs months or years after a tick bite. The erythema migrans, which can typically develop after tick borne infections around the puncture site, is often difficult to locate and the affected persons do not recognize this. Therefore, affected persons often do not realize that they have become infected.
In 60 percent of cases, Lyme arthritis develops. The knee is usually affected by this joint inflammation. The infection in the knee is caused by different Borrelia species. The species include Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Borrelia garinii.
The arthritis is noticeable by the thrusts of the pain, which aggravates with movement. The joint is reddened, swollen. Other joints may also be affected by Borrelia. Above all, chronic borreliosis affects the large joints such as knee, hip and shoulder.
Symptoms of Lyme arthritis
Typical signs of Lyme arthritis include:
- Joint pain
- Sudden swelling of the joints, without injury or overload, eg by sport
- Joint effusion, which can result from the inflammation
In addition to the classic symptoms of Lyme arthritis and the affected joints, symptoms can also manifest on the bones . This can lead to severe pain in differently changing places on the body, without one can recognize causes that disappear from the nothing again. It can lead to severe shin-bone and heel pain, which are particularly aggravated at night.
Frequently, recurring pain in the ribs and the lower ribs is also considered. These symptoms are also accompanied by the feeling of reduced breathing volume and a pressure on the chest.
Leaky joint pain particularly characteristic
Particularly characteristic is that the pain of the joints, or the inflammation at the individual joints "jump back and forth". Sometimes the knee is affected, then the hip or ankle.
External signs of joint inflammation by borrelia are a swelling and severe redness as well as an overheating. Usually the knee joint is inflamed, but the ankle or the elbow may be affected.
According to estimates, approximately 50-75% of patients who develop lateborreliose suffer from arthritis. Recent studies suggest that the incidence of actual arthritis in patients with chronic Lyme disease or late borreliosis is less than 25%. Also, toothaches or pain in the temporomandibular joints are not uncommon (late and chronic Lyme borreliosis by Dr. med. Sam T. Donta).
Treatment of joint complaints in borreliosis
Patients who continue to complain about joint pain over a longer period (over a year) may suffer from a chronic Lyme arthritis. In a few cases, the severe inflammation leads to permanent destruction of the articular cartilage. In such cases, the mobility of the joint is reduced.
An acute borreliosis in the knee can often be treated very well with antibiotics. However, even in acute borreliosis, a therapy of at least 8-12 weeks is recommended. Often the acute borreliosis is not properly cured after a too short therapy and it can go after a long latency into the chronic phase. Here, a longer-term treatment by antibiotics between 6 and 12 months is recommended.
Whether you are suffering from borreliosis, you can have it diagnosed with our Borreliose AK-18Save.
Do you have any questions about your symptoms, especially joint pain?
For further information about borreliosis and joint pain, please contact our laboratory physician Dr. med Anton Waldherr Tel. 033203 879420.