Asked by zooterduder (Male; 26; 78829; healthy ) on Tue 22, Jun 2010 10:52am for $19.00:
	Can ringworm (diagnosed as by a doctor) on the back of my leg lead to muscle soreness and stiffness even if treated with Lotrimin cream as directed for a week. The rash came about on vacation at the beach, either from sand or from something in the hotel room in my opinion. There is still a faint red circular rash, which I was told by the doctor would stay around even after the infection was cured. No more itching, just pain. Which is either from a sports injury or from something else.
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	Answer by Dr.Kokil Mathur (doctor) on Tue 22, Jun 2010 11:51am: Hi! Thanks for the question and welcome on board! Generally ringworm infection will not cause muscle soreness or stiffness. This is an infection of the skin and does not penetrate into the muscle. It can cause itch. Since you have muscle soreness and stiffness and a rash conditions like Lyme’s disease should be looked at. A circular outwardly expanding rash is the first sign. In ringworm this rash will disappear with antifungal application. In Lyme’s this persists. This is followed by a number of symptoms with neurological symptoms being more prominent in some and muscular in others. Western Blot and ELISA methods of immunological studies are diagnostic. Another possibility is rheumatoid arthritis. If you have problems with digestion then it could be Crohn’s disease. Please consult another doctor to rule out Tick borne Lyme’s disease first. This is treated by antibiotics such as Amoxycillin and Doxycycline. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyme_disease#Treatment) Please feel free to ask anything else you may want to know. Take care!
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	Comments: Comment by Dr JS Anand on Tue 22, Jun 2010 10:56pm: Hello, Welcome to the forum. Dr Kokil is absolutely right in stating that ringworm is a fungal infection of the skin and is not associated with muscle soreness and stiffness. Since you got the rash after visiting a beach or a hotel room, so Lyme’s disease needs to be ruled out. The site where the tick bites the body is where the bacteria enter through the skin. The redness of the skin is often accompanied by generalized fatigue, muscle and joint stiffness, swollen lymph nodes ("swollen glands"), and headache resembling symptoms of a virus infection. Apart from the tests mentioned by Dr Kokil, you can get skin scrapings for microscopic examination and a culture of the affected skin to completely rule out ringworm. I hope it helps. Take care and please do keep us posted in case you have any additional doubts. Kind regards.