Talk:Osteomyelitis

why

why is it called osteomyelitis? I thought myelitis means swelling of the spinal cord or something.

The question really should be "why does myelitis mean spinal cord inflammation?". The word "myelitis" itself comes from the Greek word for bone marrow, myelos. For anatomists in the bad old days, marrow was more or less "whatever you find in the middle of a bone", and for the spinal column, that meant the spinal cord. So the two different conditions bear similar names because they involve areas in similar anatomical relation to bones rather than because they're really similar. -Nunh-huh 23:55, 22 April 2006 (UTC)

Reference suggestions

I've had to do a lot of research into this for a story, and found out a lot of things in the process. As a result, I've been using what spare time I have to write a new version of the page merging my research with what we've already got. Since I want to use multiple references, I was wondering if there'd be any objections to my trying out the new cite.php system on the page. If there's too much protest, I'm happy to try out the Wikipedia:Footnote3 option instead. Or anything else you want. Please let me know what you wanna see, okay? :-)

SahRae Hyjo 01:43, 3 May 2006 (UTC)

/.kl;kl;l; Often osteomyelitis affects the spinal cord in adults -Melissa —Preceding unsigned comment added by Guthriemelissa (talk • contribs) 20:20, 18 October 2007 (UTC)

According to Stedman's medical dictionary 26th edition it is:"Inflammmation of the bone marrow and adjacent bone."
Accroding to Cecile Textbook of Medicine 23rd international edition it is: "an inflamatory process that affects any portion of the bone, leads to destruction, and is caused by infectious microorganisms."
According to Robbins Basic Pathology International Ed. "The term osteomyleitis formally designates inflammation of the bone and marrow cavity; as commonly used, however, it almost always implies infection." I am making an edit to the end of the first paragraph to clarify the definition

So I think technically ostemyelitis by definition is inflamation(no brainer) but since it is always caused by infection, it is used in that sense. Meteislam (talk) 22:06, 29 April 2009 (UTC)

Technically it is an inflammatory process as a consequence of microbiol assault. It is not just an inflammatory process by definition. Any pathology involves an inflammatory response. That is the premise to pathology. Therefore it is not correct simply to say it is an inflammatory process. It is a process initiated and stimulated by the invasion and activity of a microbiological population. SteveD 21-11-09 6:52 am. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.104.5.188 (talk) 19:53, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Lyse

Leukocytes then enter the infected area, and in their attempt to engulf the infectious organisms, release enzymes that lyse bone.. What does lyse mean? ... As in lysis? --Abdull 14:31, 24 May 2006 (UTC)

Yes, to lyse is to cause lysis. Isn't it in your dictionary? It's in mine. -Nunh-huh 01:50, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

Osteomyelitis Staph

Antibiotics, accupuncture, Chinese medicine - I've tried them all and I still have chronic osteomyelitis in R tibia following an RTA in 1988. My surgeon suggested 'free flap surgery' then backtracked because the cost is prohibitive. And now I'm in my 30's I'm getting fat because the condition reduces the amount of impact exercise I can do. Too much and my leg swells up and discharges through a natural sinus. Should I just get the damn leg cut off at the knee? At least that way I'd be rid of the mailaise it causes. Doctors, herbalists... feel free to jump in anytime. Harry, Australia

Never come to Wikipedia (or any internet site) for medical advice. While doing research and informing yourself is fine, you should only seek medical advice from licensed physicians. If you don't feel that your physician is helpful, find another physician you are more comfortable with.--SvetBeard 20:15, 21 November 2006 (UTC)

Bacterial infections

Useful source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1249524/Could-virus-caused-pain--And-simple-dose-antibiotics-cure-good.html

-- John Broughton (♫♫) 16:27, 15 December 2010 (UTC)

Does the Daily Mail ever constitute a useful source on medical subjects? JFW | T@lk 10:14, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Kids

doi:10.1056/NEJMra1213956 - NEJM, acute osteomyelitis
doi:10.1136/bmj.g66 - BMJ, acute haematogenous osteomyelitis.

JFW | T@lk 10:14, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Most common cause of osteomyelitis

Reference 2 states that hematogenous spread is most common, yet I have another reference that disputes this. See the osteomyelitis chapter in Harrisons Internal Medicine 18th Edition — Preceding unsigned comment added by Pforys (talk • contribs) 15:51, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

External links modified

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osteosarcoma

is there any connection between osteomyelitis and osteosarcoma? can osteosarcoma be treated with penicillin? Breakupalbum (talk) 05:44, 31 July 2023 (UTC)

Wiki education assignment: WikiProject Medicine Winter 2026 UCF COM - Block 8

Hello, I am a fourth year medical student at UCF College of Medicine. For this course, I plan to edit this page and will outline my proposed plan below.

Intro section – This section is slightly long compared to subsequent sections. I will plan to rephrase some areas and relocate any areas which may not be necessary for an introduction and are better suited for later sections.

Signs and Symptoms – In this section, I plan to expand on some of the symptoms seen in osteomyelitis (OM) and locate citations for information which does not have one. Here, it may be of use to attempt to locate a picture of OM which demonstrates some of the signs and symptoms a patient may experience.

Cause – In this section, I will verify that the organisms in the table are still accurate as most common causes. I will attempt to locate citations for information which does not have one. In addition, some information in this section may be better suited if relocated to other sections of the article (for example, the information on most commonly affected areas may be better in signs and symptoms or in mechanism). I will restructure so that the information on most common cause of OM (S. aureus) is at the top of the section and other causes will follow.

Pathogenesis – In this section my plan will be to locate citations for information currently uncited and attempt to rework some of the denser areas of information to increase ease of readability.

Diagnosis - This section contains information which is currently uncited. I will attempt to locate citations for this information and plan to possibly rephrase areas of this information to aid in easier understanding of the diagnostic tools used for OM. The classification subheading requires citation and I will attempt to locate citations. In this section, I would like to further expand on the difference between acute and chronic OM.

Prevention or screening – This section is not currently included in the article. Here, I would like to add information on wound care and importance of diabetic foot exams for prevention of OM.

Treatment – This section requires addition of citations for some of the material outlined. If possible, I would like to find treatment guidelines for OM and include here.

Epidemiology – The intro section lists some information on epidemiology. I will verify that this information is still up to date if possible and create a section for epidemiology where I will move this information to. Ch543 (talk) 15:43, 8 January 2026 (UTC)

Hello! The following is my peer review for WikiProject Medicine Winter 2026 UCF COM - Block 8:

Intro section: Great rephrase and streamline of the section! I think the overview provided does a good job of touching on everything while being concise. Potentially add a link for terms like “hematogenous” and “non-hematogenous” if there are associated pages.

Signs and Symptoms: Everything is cited as per the plan! Love the picture that was added. The distinction between acute and chronic symptoms is particularly helpful. Although not a sentence or edit of yours, the last sentence of the section could include a minor edit for clarity: “The most commonly affected areas for children are the long bones, and for adults ARE the feet, spine, and hips.”

Complications: A nice addition!

Cause: I really appreciate the updates to this section and specifically the table with new groups and citations. While this may be clear to most readers, potentially add “(also known as tubercular osteomyelitis)” to the end of the first sentence (“Osteomyelitis is a secondary…”) for additional clarity when tubercular osteomyelitis is referenced a couple of sentences later.

Risk Factors: Another nice addition! Potentially consider adjusting the format of the first bullet to match the rest of the list and for clarity. If supported by the citation, maybe separate out Diabetes and Smoking as separate risk factors and you can still include the additional information (e.g. “associated neuropathy increases the risk of OM developing from local foot infections”) within parentheses wherever appropriate.

Pathogenesis: Everything is cited with significantly improved readability as per the plan! Potentially add a link for “suppurative,” “metaphysis,” “periosteum,” “biofilms” if there are associated pages.

Diagnosis: Truly wonderful work with the citations for this section as well! Potentially add links to “radiograph,” “CT,” “PET,” and “MRI” if there are associated pages.

Classification: Citations were added as planned and the distinction between acute and chronic OM was helpful!

Prevention or screening: An important section addition. The tie back to diabetes as a risk factor and the importance of diabetic foot exams is particularly useful!

Treatment: The addition of citation and treatment guidelines makes for a much stronger section. Potentially add a link for “surgical debridement” if an associated page is available.

Epidemiology: I think this was a great section addition that adds to overall article clarity. VLDVAV (talk) 22:02, 27 January 2026 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: WikiProject Medicine Winter 2026 UCF COM - Block 8

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 5 January 2026 and 30 January 2026. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Ch543 (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by VLDVAV (talk) 20:06, 8 January 2026 (UTC)