Chronic back pain cured by antibiotics; acne bacteria invade discs and cause debilitating pain

Thursday, May 16, 2013 by: Jonathan Benson, staff writer
Tags: chronic back pain, antibiotics, spinal injury

(NaturalNews) The latest science reveals that antibiotics may serve a legitimate and defining purpose in medicine after all, but probably not in the way you might think. Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark recently discovered that as many as 50 percent of all cases of lower back pain are more than likely the result of invading bacteria, for which a focused and limited dose of antibiotic drugs may be beneficial at providing lasting relief and potentially even a permanent cure for the debilitating condition.

In a series of studies aimed at identifying the root causes of chronic lower back pain, scientists discovered that patients with herniated discs often have bacterial infections that entered at some point through their damaged disc areas and led to bone swelling and resultant pain. And as it turns out, nearly half of all patients with slipped or herniated discs have such infections, according to the research, and antibiotic drugs are a viable way to deal with problem effectively and inexpensively.

After studying the issue at length, researchers learned that when back patients with bacterial infections were given a combination of the antibiotics amoxicillin and clavulanate for just three months, an astounding 80 percent of them saw either a significant reduction in pain levels or were completely cured of their condition. And the cost of treating such patients with this antibiotics course was a mere fraction of what it would cost to employ more traditional treatment methods such as invasive surgery.

"Make no mistake this is a turning point, a point where we will have to re-write the textbooks," says Peter Hamlyn, a consultant neurologist and spinal surgeon at University College London, as quoted by the U.K. Telegraph. "This is vast. We are talking about probably half of all spinal surgery for back pain being replaced by taking antibiotics ... It is the stuff of Nobel prizes."

According to the data, which was published in European Spinal Journal, the type of bacteria present in lower back patients is the same type that often leads to skin acne. Such bacteria normally does not cause harm or pain, say experts, but when it becomes lodged in between spinal discs, it can multiply and further damage tissue, causing inflammation and immense pain in the lower back. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans have revealed that, if left to run its course, this bacteria eventually damages other areas of the vertebrae.

Like with any other medical application of antibiotics, overuse and abuse is dangerous

Though we do not typically promote the use of antibiotics here at NaturalNews, this breakthrough has the potential to revolutionize the way people with chronic, debilitating lower back pain find long-term relief and healing. A proper, limited course of antibiotics taken for the appropriate amount of time and in the proper dosage may actually be the safest and most effective way to cure lower back pain for people with legitimate bacterial infections.

"This will not help people with normal back pain, those with acute, or sub-acute pain - only those with chronic lower back pain," says Dr. Hanne Albert, one of the lead researchers involved with the studies, to the U.K. Guardian. "These are people who live a life on the edge because they are so handicapped with pain. We are returning them to a form of normality they would never have expected."

Like with any antibiotic protocol, however, it is important to follow up with a course of probiotics to replenish the colonies of beneficial bacteria that were killed off by the antibiotics. You can learn more about probiotics by visiting:
http://www.naturalnews.com

Sources for this article include:

http://www.guardian.co.uk

http://www.bloomberg.com

http://www.telegraph.co.uk