What does bone pain feel like? Bone pain usually feels dull and achy — like the pain is coming from deep inside your body. The skin near the affected area will probably feel tender to any touch. It might also hurt when you move or use that part of your body.
Osteomyelitis is inflammation or swelling that occurs in the bone. It can result from an infection somewhere else in the body that has spread to the bone, or it can start in the bone — often as a result of an injury. Osteomyelitis is more common in younger children (five and under) but can happen at any age.
Bone pain. Pain caused by bone cancer usually begins with a feeling of tenderness in the affected bone. This gradually progresses to a persistent ache or an ache that comes and goes, which continues at night and when resting.
Bone pain usually feels deeper, sharper, and more intense than muscle pain. Muscle pain also feels more generalized throughout the body and tends to ease within a day or two, while bone pain is more focused and lasts longer. Bone pain is also less common than joint or muscle pain, and should always be taken seriously.
The main symptoms include: persistent bone pain that gets worse over time and continues into the night. swelling and redness (inflammation) over a bone, which can make movement difficult if the affected bone is near a joint. a noticeable lump over a bone.
Signs and symptoms of bone cancer include: Bone pain. Swelling and tenderness near the affected area. Weakened bone, leading to fracture.
Primary bone cancer is categorized into four stages: Stage 1: The tumor is low-grade, and the cancer cells are still localized. Stage 2: The cancer cells are still localized, but the tumor is high-grade. Stage 3: The tumor is high-grade and cancer has spread to other areas within the same bone.
What is osteomyelitis? Osteomyelitis is an infection that usually causes pain in the long bones in the legs. Other bones, such as those in the back or arms, can also be affected. Anyone can develop osteomyelitis.
Short-term joint inflammation from an injury usually goes away on its own. While chronic inflammation can be difficult to treat and may get worse with time, various medications can help. A person can contact a doctor for help managing all forms of inflammation.
An X-ray won't show subtle bone injuries, soft tissue injuries or inflammation. However, even if your doctor suspects a soft tissue injury like a tendon tear, an X-ray might be ordered to rule out a fracture.
Tumour markers
If you have osteosarcoma, your doctor will measure your ALP level (alkaline phosphatase). This chemical is found in your blood and is a measure of bone activity. If you have a bone cancer, the levels of bone cell activity in the affected bone may be higher than normal.
Bone x-rays may show if the cancer started in the bone (primary bone cancer). Or if the cancer spread to the bone from somewhere else in the body (secondary bone cancer). Sometimes the way the bone looks on an x-ray can help the doctor tell which type of bone cancer it is. This is often true for osteosarcoma.
The pain may be only in one area or it may spread throughout the body. It may be a dull ache or a sharp pain. There may also be swelling along with bone pain. Other signs and symptoms of bone metastases include broken bones (fractures), most often the ribs, vertebrae and long bones of the legs.
Biopsy. The most definitive way of diagnosing bone cancer is to take a sample of affected bone and send it to a laboratory for testing. This is known as a biopsy. A biopsy can determine exactly what type of bone cancer you have and what grade it is.
Rarely, people with a bone sarcoma may have symptoms such as fever, generally feeling unwell, weight loss, and anemia, which is a low level of red blood cells.
Distinguishing Between Bone Pain and Joint Pain
Bone pain tends to be localized and is often described as sharp pain, especially when associated with fracture. Even the sensation produced by bone cancer has been described as similar to having breaks in the bone. Joint pain is typically limited to the affected joint.
Osteomyelitis is an infection in a bone. Infections can reach a bone by traveling through the bloodstream or spreading from nearby tissue. Infections can also begin in the bone itself if an injury exposes the bone to germs.
During the night, there is a drop in the stress hormone cortisol which has an anti-inflammatory response. There is less inflammation, less healing, so the damage to bone due to the above conditions accelerates in the night, with pain as the side-effect.