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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffSeptic arthritis typically causes extreme discomfort and difficulty using the affected joint. Signs and symptoms may include:
- Fever
- Severe pain in the affected joint, especially when you move that joint
- Swelling of the affected joint
- Warmth in the area of the affected joint
In children, additional symptoms may include:
- Poor appetite
- Malaise
- Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Irritability
If you're taking medications for other types of arthritis, you may not feel severe pain with septic arthritis because those medications may mask the pain and fever.
In adults, the joints of the arms and legs — especially the knees — are most commonly affected by septic arthritis.
In children, the hip is the joint most likely to be affected. Children with septic arthritis of the hip often hold their hip in a fixed position and try to avoid any joint rotation.
In rare cases other joints, such as those in the back, neck and head, may be affected.
When to see a doctor
See your doctor if you have signs and symptoms that may indicate septic arthritis, such as sudden onset of severe pain in a joint. If you're at an increased risk of infection and you notice signs and symptoms of infection, such as fever and chills, see your doctor right away. Prompt treatment may prevent the spread of infection and minimize the damage to your affected joint.
- George HO, et al. Bacterial arthritis. In: Firestein GS, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/202388075-9/0/1807/746.html?tocnode=55734150&fromURL=746.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3285-4..10099-3_3613. Accessed May 30, 2010.
- Garcia-De LaTorre I, et al. Gonococcal and nongonococcal arthritis. Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America. 2009;35:63.
- Zinc BJ, et al. Bone and joint infections. In: Marx JA, et al., eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo.:Mosby;2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00134-1--s0180&uniq=202388075&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&sid=1002434146#lpState=open&lpTab=contentsTab&content=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..00134-1--s0110%3Bfrom%3Dtoc%3Btype%3DbookPage%3Bisbn%3D978-0-323-05472-0. Accessed May 30, 2010.
- Ohl CA. Infectious arthritis of native joints. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Bennett, & Dolin: Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/book.do?method=display&type=bookPage&decorator=header&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00102-8&displayedEid=4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06839-3..00102-8--s0015&uniq=202388075&isbn=978-0-443-06839-3&sid=1002438834. Accessed May 30, 2010.
- Goldenberg DL. Septic arthritis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 30, 2010.
- Krogstad P. Bacterial arthritis: Clinical features and diagnosis in infants and children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 30, 2010.
- Steckelberg JM (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 3, 2010.
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