Symptoms and Complications
When a child gets a bone infection that has spread from the bloodstream, symptoms include fever and some pain in the infected bone. It may also be difficult to move the affected area, since the limb will often be swollen and tender.
In adults, symptoms usually develop slowly, and the spinal vertebrae are commonly infected. Symptoms include soreness, swelling, redness, and pain that often can't be relieved with painkillers, heating pads, or rest. Unlike children, adults with osteomyelitis generally have no fever.
If the osteomyelitis has developed as a result of an infection from surrounding soft tissue, or has entered through a crack in the bone, it will cause the area over the bone to become painful and swollen. Pus will build up in the area and form an abscess on the skin or nearby soft tissue. Again, these types of infections don't cause fever. Blood tests are often normal as well.
If a person has an artificial joint that becomes infected, it will cause constant pain. If the bone infection isn't treated appropriately, it can become chronic.
There will also be pain and recurring infections in soft tissue, such as muscle and skin surrounding the infected bone. Pus may also drain from the bone into and out of the skin through a passage it creates called a sinus.