Septic arthritis is a painful infection in a joint.

The infection can comes from germs that travel

your blood stream from another part of your
body.
 Septic arthritis can also occur when a
penetrating injury delivers germs directly into
the joint.
 Knees are most commonly affected, septic
arthritis can also affect the hips, shoulders
and others joints.
 Infection can also damage the cartilage and
bone within the joint.
 Incidence of septic arthritis has been
estimated at 2 to 10 cases per 100,000.
 Knee is most commonly involved joint
accounting for about 50% of cases.
 Infant and older are most likely to develop
septic arthritis.
Types

Bacterial Arthritis Lyme Arthritis

1 2 3 4

Tuberculous Arthritis Viral Arthritis

Sign and Symptoms Causes
• Extreme discomfort,  Invasion of bacteria
difficulty using the
affected joint  Viruses
• Joint swollen, red and  Fungi
warm.  Direct inoculation
• Pain on active and passive  Penetrating wound
movement.
• Fever  Most common
• Systemic connective tissue hematogenous
disorder
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Increased leukocyte count.
 Synovial membrane
Bacteria in blood hyperplasia in 5 to 7 Release of cytokines
days

Polymorphonuclear Hydrolysis of
and nuclear cell and proteoglycan and
Travel to joint space
synovial cell migrate collagen, cartilage
into the synovial fluid destruction

Deposit on synovial Produce inflammatory

Bone loss.
membrane reaction
Cont…

Within 24 to 48
hour of Infiltration by Vascular Synovial
bacterial neutrophils congestion proliferation
invasion

Within 1 week
following Continual Continual
Infiltration by Granulation Abscess
bacterial purulent synovial
effusion proliferation mononuclear cell tissue developed
invasion

If left untreated
Cytokine End result is it will spread
Within 10 days induced joint underlying
after abscess proteolytic destruction and bone and out
formation enzyme are or systemic of joint to form
released sepsis. abscess and
sinus.
 Arthrocentesis– Aspiration of synovial fluid
 Blood investigation – CBC,CRP & ESR
 Imaging techniques – X-ray, Ultrasound, CT
scan & MRI