In a new study it is found that a cause of pain in back is not due to some mechanical problem but it is actually caused by infection. Antibiotics can be prescribed to treat the problem of chronic back pain. Lower back pain is one of the biggest health problems among the people. The common causes of lower back pain are sleeping on soft mattresses and carrying heavy items. But in some cases problem of back pain is due to slipped disc.
The disc is made up of a hard fibrous outer ring with a soft inner part called nucleus and is slotted between each of the vertebrae. It can degenerate with wear and tear and the outer part cracks which forces the pulpy centre to bulge into spinal canal. It irritates the nerves running from the spinal cord down the leg which causes back pain. Back pain can be treated with change in lifestyle and physiotherapy.
MRI scan of herniated discs patients showed key changes in the vertebrae that may be due to the implication of bacteria, the bone around the affected area gets swell. Researchers believe that when a disc becomes herniated, bacteria can enter and cause an infection. Patients with lower back pain and these bone changes were given the antibiotic and were cured.
Bacteria are found on the skin and in the mouth. They get into your bloodstream through the gums while brushing your teeth too vigorously can cause gums to bleed. These bacteria do not cause problems because it is anaerobic. It cannot grow in the presence of oxygen. But disc material having no blood supply and no supply of oxygen, is an ideal place for breeding.
Dr Hanne Albert who has been leading the larger clinical trial at the Back Research Centre in Denmark says, “When bacteria get into the bloodstream, it can travel to the site of a damaged disc. The body then reacts to the infection, resulting in lower back pain.”
