Don't Let a Bug Bite Lead to Arthritis

April 29, 2025

Imagine racking up 16 surgeries for joint replacement and reconstruction by the time you hit age 30. And it's all because of a bug bite...

Meghan Bradshaw went under the knife all of those times because of her debilitating arthritis, a condition typically reserved for the old. (More than half of Americans aged 75 and up have it, compared with a scant 3.6% of adults aged 18 to 34 years.)

Her symptoms started during high school and ramped up during college, where her joints hurt so badly that she couldn't walk, brush her teeth, or dress herself.

After a battery of medical tests (all of which came up inconclusive), her doctor diagnosed her with rheumatoid arthritis. Then, finally, at age 26, she got an answer:

A tick bite caused her arthritis.

Specifically, the tick had infected her with the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. And the microbes ended up hanging out in her joint tissue and wreaking havoc there, causing massive inflammation.

As a result, she developed what's called Lyme arthritis, a condition affecting about 25% of Lyme disease cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ("CDC"). And Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness in the U.S., with roughly 476,000 new cases cropping up each year. Worse, that number is likely higher since the symptoms can mimic those of so many other conditions.

If left untreated, the disease can spread to your heart, nervous system, and, like Meghan, your joints. As for Lyme arthritis, it usually rears its ugly head months after the other symptoms start in 60% of untreated cases.

Plenty of folks know that ticks love lurking in the woods (more on that in a moment) in the countryside and edges of suburbs.

But city slickers aren't safe either...

Don't think for a second that you're safe in the concrete jungle. According to a Finnish study published in January, city dwellers can get tick-borne diseases from any urban green spaces like parks and public gardens, too.

Finnish researchers collected ticks from five cities from 2019 to 2020 and found that 43% of adult and 22% of young ticks carried a tick-borne pathogen. (Called nymphs, the young ticks are especially dangerous because of their small, poppy-seed-like size.)

Your Best Defense Against Lyme Disease

Simple... just prevent the bites by avoiding these bugs:

Know your surroundings.

Most ticks live in wooded areas and high grass. If your yard is a high-traffic zone for deer, you'll find ticks even if you mow regularly and remove grass clippings promptly.

Along with venturing into urban green spaces like I mentioned earlier, hitchhiking ticks also pose a danger to city dwellers. Specifically, ticks also hitchhike on other animals like mice and rats, which means even cities aren't safe from these pests. Make sure to keep your yard free of trash to discourage visits from wildlife looking for food or shelter.

Don't stray from that path.

Ticks love lurking in "edge habitats." Examples include the border between a trimmed lawn and a wooded area and the sides of a trail or sidewalk that have tall brush. Also included are ground-cover plants like ivy, pachysandra, and creeping thyme, to name a few.

Some health officials recommend making a backyard "moat" if you have a forest near your backyard. Just spread some wood chips between the woods and your yard to create a border that's a couple of feet wide.

A tick's quest.

It sounds like the title of a charming Disney/Pixar movie. But it's far from cute... Questing is the term for when these tiny parasites climb up on plants and perch there, with their front legs up in the air and ready to grab onto a passing deer or your pants leg.

Also, the particularly aggressive lone star tick can scramble up that blade of grass three times faster than a black-legged tick. That's another reason why it's so important to avoid tick terrain and do skin checks as soon as possible after your excursion.

"Stone walls do not a prison make..."

But stone walls (and woodpiles) do make for a great tick hangout spot. The nooks and crannies serve as dark and moist lairs for ticks and mice. So remember to wear protective clothing or check your skin after working near piles of stone and/or wood.

Steer clear of crunchy leaves.

Autumn might seem far off. But when it arrives, don't let your kids or pets roll around in the leaves. Leaf litter provides dark, moist hiding spots for ticks and mice. Bag up and trash fallen leaves in your yard or do what I do: Compost the leaves and use them for mulch. Shredding them up with a lawnmower allows for faster decomposition.

Finally, don't forget to do the tick check after your outdoor adventures...

Since ticks love dark, moist places, focus on these "prime real estate" areas of your body:

Scalp
Behind and in the ears
Armpits
Belly button
Groin
Behind the knees
Between your toes
Between folds of skin

Keep these preventive steps in mind to stay free of Lyme disease (and Lyme arthritis), no matter where you go.

Send us your favorite tips for dealing with ticks: feedback@healthandwealthbulletin.com.

P.S. A tick bite might be a sneaky cause of arthritis. Similarly, and as unrelated as you think they are, your mouth could destroy your brain. I wrote about it in last month's Retirement Millionaire, plus what you can do to keep your mind sharp into your golden years. Get a trial subscription here.

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Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,

Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
April 29, 2025