Lyme Disease
Lyme disease was once confined to the highlands and the New Forest in the UK, but now it’s nationwide. An estimated one in three ticks in the UK carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, so any bites should be treated with suspicion.
Tick Bites
Tick bites on both animals and humans can be surprisingly difficult to spot. You often won’t feel the bite and may not even know that you’ve been bitten once the tick has fallen off. British ticks are smaller than your little fingernail even after a feed (when they are engorged) but if you do find one still attached, do not squeeze it. Use a tick removal tool or even a credit card to get underneath the body and pull it out from the mouthpiece. You don’t want any parts left in your skin as they are an infection risk in themselves.
Minimise your risk of coming into contact with ticks by avoiding walking in long grass, or if you have to, tuck your trousers into your socks. Thoroughly check for signs of ticks after risky walks too. Insect repellent can also help, even though ticks are arachnids.
Early Symptoms of Lyme Disease
The textbook rash for a lime infected tick bite looks like a bull’s-eye (illustrated above). However, this will not be as visible on dark skin and it takes a few weeks or even months to develop after the bite itself. By this time, it may be accompanied by generally feeling unwell, having joint and muscle aches, or flu-like symptoms. The area itself may be hot, red, and swollen. If left unmanaged, Lyme disease can become a chronic condition characterised by fatigue and pain. If you suspect you have Lyme disease, speak to your GP or 111 in the first instance. They may offer a blood test to screen for the disease, although it may need repeating later on. You may also be offered a course of strong antibiotics.
Chronic Lyme Disease
Osteopath need to be aware of Lyme disease because it can cause joint pains that may be mistaken for something else. Chronic Lyme Disease presents with nebulous symptoms of fatigue and brain fog, similar to fibromyalgia and long covid. If you didn’t realise you were bitten, and if the rash never developed, it may not be a consideration for your diagnosis. A lot of these chronic pain or chronic fatigue conditions are functional. This means that they will not be diagnosed with blood tests or other investigations. But if you do have chronic Lyme Disease, a specialist blood test may pick it up. Mention your concerns to your GP before the blood test is ordered to make sure the investigation is thorough enough to look for the markers in question.