This article describes common causes of bone marrow edema.
There are many possible causes for this.
Arthritis
Both inflammatory and non-inflammatory arthritis can cause bone marrow edema.
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With non-inflammatory arthritis, the degeneration of bone can cause changes that place direct pressure on the underlying marrow.
The injury may beacute(sudden, severe) orchronic(persistent or recurrent).
This includesoveruse injuriescaused by repetitive stress to bones and joints.
Osteoporosis is increasingly common as a person ages, particularly in postmenopausal women.
The instability sparked by osteoporosis makes bones vulnerable to fracture.
Bone marrow edema can occur with severe osteoporosis, particularly in the knees and hips.
It tends to come and go rather than being persistent.
Bone Infection
Osteomyelitisis an infection of the bone.
It is relatively uncommon but can cause damage to the blood vessels servicing the bone.
If the blood supply is significantly reduced, bone tissues can start to die (referred to asosteonecrosis).
Bone marrow edema is characteristic of osteomyelitis, especially in the hip.
Some bone tumors grow faster than others.
The most common complication is severe and sometimes debilitating pain.
The pain may be present while resting but tends to get worse with activity or at night.
This is especially true if the pain is severe and interfering with your mobility.
Other symptoms to watch out for are warm and swollen joints (joint effusion).
Arguably, the biggest concern with bone marrow edema is whether it is triggered by cancer.
Although pain is common with bone cancer and bone metastases, it is not diagnostic of cancer.
Bone cancer may require chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and surgery.
Summary
Bone marrow edema is a buildup of fluid inside your bones.
It can happen because of an injury such as a fracture.
Molfetta L, Florian A, Saviola G, Frediani B.Bone marrow edema: pathogenetic features.Clin Ter.
