Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!sundc!hadron!jsdy
From: jsdy@hadron.UUCP (Joseph S. D. Yao)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: Calcium deposits (question)
Message-ID: <609@hadron.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Nov-86 21:50:27 EST
Article-I.D.: hadron.609
Posted: Tue Nov 11 21:50:27 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Nov-86 00:55:39 EST
References: <3573@columbia.UUCP> <4271@ut-ngp.UUCP> <1306@ttrdc.UUCP>
Reply-To: jsdy@hadron.UUCP (Joseph S. D. Yao)
Organization: Hadron, Inc., Fairfax, VA
Lines: 25
Summary: Infections in joints.

In article <1306@ttrdc.UUCP> levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy) writes:
>In article <4271@ut-ngp.UUCP>, osmigo1@ut-ngp.UUCP (Ron Morgan) writes:
>>Injections, etc. are made into the sac enclosing the joint, and the slightest
>>infection can result in *amputating* the limb. I've seen it happen.
>I thought that kind of thing happened mainly back in the time before anti-
>biotics (but that was also the time before cortisone shots, too, wasn't it?).
>Is it still common?  ...

The articular surfaces of a joint should be smooth to get good
motion at that joint.  If an infection does settle into a joint,
it can make those surfaces quite rough, causing permanent loss
of some or all freedom of motion.  A classic example is a knuckle
infection after a fist fight, especially if the knuckles impacted
human teeth (which are about the dirtiest place in the world.)
Fortunately, the body's immune system usually manages to keep
infections from getting rooted in.  This is hampered if the
circulation of fluid through the synovial capsule and back into
the rest of the body is blocked.

Amputations?  Yeyah, they happen.  I have no feeling that they're
common, and no numbers at all.
-- 

	Joe Yao		hadron!jsdy@seismo.{CSS.GOV,ARPA,UUCP}
			jsdy@hadron.COM (not yet domainised)