Osteomyelitis is the medical term that is used to refer to infection in a bone. Infections can start in one of your bones if some kind of trauma exposes your bone to germs. Infections can also reach one of your bones by spreading from a tissue that is close by or going through your blood stream.

Osteomyelitis usually affects the long bones in your body. These are your upper arm bone or your leg bones. Osteomyelitis can also affect your pelvis and spine.

Osteomyelitis can either be an acute or chronic condition in adults. In children it is usually an acute condition. Osteomyelitis affects around 2 out of every 10,000 people in the United States.

Osteomyelitis can be caused by a variety of bacteria and fungi. The most common is staphylococcus aureus. Other causes include:

• Bacteria in your bloodstream that gets in a localized area of your bone
• A minor trauma that can result in a blood clot around your bone and then a secondary infection
• A soft tissue infection or a chronic open wound
• Any kind of open injury to a bone where it pierces your skin
• An infection from another place in your body that spreads to your bone through your blood stream.

There are several signs and symptoms that may be an indication that you have osteomyelitis. Some of these are:

• Fever that is abrupt
• Chills
• Nausea that is a result of being sick with an infection
• Sweating excessively
• Tenderness and/or pain in the affected bone
• Swelling of your legs, feet or ankles
• Malaise (general feeling of sickness, discomfort or uneasiness)
• Changes in your gait (the way you walk)
• Warmth, redness and swelling in the affected bone
• Lower back pain if your spine is affected
• The drainage of pus through your skin
• Lethargy or irritability in young children
• Chronic fatigue.

You or a loved one may have been diagnosed with osteomyelitis. This condition and/or complications resulting from or other conditions along with it may be why you are not able to work. It may be causing you or your loved one’s disability.

Because of this, you may need assistance. You may need financial help.

You or your loved one may have applied for the financial assistance that you need by applying for Social Security disability benefits or disability benefits from the Social Security Administration because of the disability caused by osteomyelitis and/or complications resulting from or other conditions along with it. Were you or your loved one denied by the Social Security Administration?

If you or your loved one is considering appealing the denial by the Social Security Administration, always remember this. People who are represented by a disability attorney like the one you will find at socialsecurityhome.com are approved more often than people who do not have a disability lawyer.