Lyme disease, in many situations leads to arthritis in patients suffering from it. It was observed that many people suffering from arthritis in the Lyme town had stated about having a distinct skin rash before they were diagnosed with arthritis. It was later revealed that these skin rashes were caused by biting of a tick that was carrying a bacterium named Borrelia burgdorferi which in turn lead to an arthritis outbreak in the town of Lyme.

A research suggests that majority of the people, almost 60 percent, that have not been given any antibiotics even after being diagnosed with Lyme for several weeks were reporting repeated attacks of swelling and pain in joints that would remain for days and weeks and months. It was also noted that this type of arthritis used to move from any one joint to any other joint. Apart from affecting more than one joint at any given moment, it was also disclosed that knee was the most common joint that was affected. However, the joints at the knuckle of the hands were not frequently affected. Everlasting arthritis was developed on the patients that were left untreated and there were almost 10 to 20 percent of them.