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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffOsteomyelitis is the medical term for an infection in a bone. Infections can reach a bone by traveling through your bloodstream or spreading from nearby tissue. Infections can also begin in the bone itself if trauma exposes your bone to germs. Bone infections commonly affect the long bones of your body, such as your leg bones and upper arm bone, as well as your spine and pelvis.
Osteomyelitis often occurs in children as an acute condition. In adults, osteomyelitis may occur as either the acute and chronic form.
Once considered incurable, osteomyelitis can be successfully treated today. Still, osteomyelitis is a serious condition, requiring aggressive treatment to prevent spread of your infection and to save the affected bone.
