According to The Guardian newspaper, scientists in Denmark have discovered that perhaps 40% of chronic lower back pain, a condition often treated with surgery, can instead be alleviated by a course of antibiotics. It seems that an infection process once considered rare is actually quite common.
To whit: an injured spinal disc can end up becoming infected by a certain kind of bacteria known to its friends as Propionibacterium acnes. Per the name, it normally causes acne, but it can get into the blood stream at times, such as through the gums. The body produces new blood vessels around the disc as part of the healing process, which ends up providing ingress to the bacteria. The result is inflammation and pain.
In a randomized trial, a 100 day antibiotic regimen reduced pain in 80% of patients who had suffered for more than six months and had signs of damaged vertebra under MRI scans. That's quite a lot of antibiotics...you might want to add some probiotic yogurt to your diet during the treatment period.
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