Osteomyelitis describes infection of a bone anywhere in the skeleton. This condition commonly occurs in the human spine. Spinal bone infection is a very serious condition that can create dire consequences, including disability and death in extreme cases. However, in healthy people, most cases of vertebral bone infection can be diagnosed and treated without permanent damage being done.
Why would a person develop an infection in a spinal bone? How is the condition best treated? What are the symptoms of myelitis in the vertebral bones and how would you know if your back pain is actually a result of spinal infection?
We will explore and answer all of these pertinent questions during this dialog covering osteomyelitis. If you want to know all about vertebral bone infections, you have come to the right place to learn.
Osteomyelitis Symptoms
We already know that back pain can be caused by a vast array of possible sources. Spinal bone infection is certainly one of them. The usual symptoms of vertebral infection include all of the following presentations which typically start somewhat gradually, but escalate quickly over a timeline of 3 to 10 days:
Back or neck pain will likely be present and is often much worse at night, as is common with many types of infections that are opportunistic when the body is fatigued.
Fever might be present in the beginning, but will almost surely develop within a short time.
Stiffness and swelling is likely to be present around the affected vertebral bone(s). Range of motion might be objectively or subjectively diminished.
Doctors can best diagnose the condition using a combination of blood tests and spinal imaging to actually see what is occurring in the vertebral column. MRI and CT scan offer the best images for the evaluation of osteomyelitis.
Causes of Bone Infection
Spinal bone infection can come from many possible sources. The infection might enter the body through any of the usual means, such as a wound anywhere and travel to the spine. However, this is very rare in healthy individuals. More often, the spinal bone will be affected by trauma and exposed to some contaminant directly.
One of the most common causes of spinal bone infection is certainly surgery. Spinal surgery has a very, very high risk of complications and infection to the vertebrae is just one of these possible consequences. Surgical infections are also some of the most difficult to treat, since they are deep and often affect several areas of the spinal column.
People with compromised health are at heightened risk for developing spinal bone infections. These conditions include immune disorders like HIV and AIDS, cancer, and various serious diseases. However, much more common risks factors towards developing spinal bone infection include obesity and diabetes (both epidemic conditions in many parts of the word), anatomical damage due to drugs like alcohol, hormones, steroids and pharmacological products (yes, including and especially prescription drugs) and susceptibility to various autoimmune conditions due to anatomical or mindbody causation.
Osteomyelitis Treatment
Depending on the type of infection and the severity of presentation, treatment might consist of any or all of the following methods of care:
Antibiotics are virtually always the primary line of defense against infection. These can be given directly via local injection, intravenously or orally.
Surgery is rather common in severe presentations. This is ironic considering the direct cause of many of these same infections was a previous spinal surgery…
In some cases, entire vertebral bones must be removed via corpectomy surgery and replaced with a spinal fusion.
In healthy people, most infections are treatable, while in compromised individuals, serious spinal bone infections can prove fatal, often within a matter of days to weeks.
