Infections of the spine are not common, but can occur and can lead to serious illnesses when caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that invade the spine. The invading organisms can infiltrate nearly any structure in the spine that one can imagine, including the spinal cord, the spinal canal, the meninges, the vertebra, and the spinal discs..
When these critters invade spinal discs, we call that inflammation discitis. When these critters invade the actual bones of our spine, we call that osteomyelitis.
As a rule of thumb, these infections travel to the spine from the circulatory system, blood. Normal bacteria, that is Staph or E.Coli, enter the bloodstream from an incident such as surgery or IV drug use – and bingo!
Simply put, spinal infections can be catastrophic to your spine! A cold has an element of danger, but you can mess up your spine with spinal infections.As your spinal discs become inflamed due to disease, inflammation, ultimately can lead to disc degeneration, and even disc necrosis. If the infection travels to the vertebral bodies it can create fractures in the spinal column itself. Spinal fractures will create extreme instability in the spine. This means the weight of your torso may cause your whole spine to lean forward Kyphosis is a spinal deformity in which the thoracic spine, or upper back, develops a forward hump.
Other problems associated with spinal infections are pain from nerves and the accumulation of pus, referred to as an abscess. Abscesses—not only are they excruciating pain but they can also compress the spinal cord. When narrowing of the spinal canal occurs – spinal stenosis – this could cause paralysis, weakness of the muscle and nerve pain.
Symptoms of Spinal Infection
So it is very important that you follow any protocols your doctor directs you to regarding MRI preparations. But if you’re not directed to any protocols, you should try to maintain your level of routines that you follow for the days and weeks leading up to the scan as best as possible. This includes normal activities and taking medications as prescribed. By sticking to your pre-MRI protocols, you can feel confident that you received the most accurate scan possible with no impacts of a routine change affecting your results.
How are Spinal Infections Diagnosed?
Diagnosing spinal infections will likely involve both imaging studies as well as laboratory investigation. Once an infection is suspected, the doctor will most probably imaging with X-ray before anything else. While the X-ray does not delineate soft tissues (and therefore is not able to depict the spinal discs), the imaging study can show bone erosion or loss of disc height (loss in disc height is shown by loss of space between two vertebrae) . As easily as an MRI gives information on soft tissue along with bone status, your doctor may proceed with that if the X-ray picks up concerns on the disc or on the bone.
identifying a spinal infection through laboratory tests based on an inflammatory marker or white blood cell count.The other markers are C-reactive protein (CRP) and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). In 85% of all spinal infections, the abnormal markers will be the ESR and CRP. Additionally, your doctor may also do a blood culture for an attempt to grow the virus that is initially causing your pain. In less than 50% of episodes of spinal infections, blood cultures grow the pathogen.
Conclusion
Spinal infections are a rare but serious problem that warrants immediate medical attention due to the potential for significant pain, nerve injury, spinal instability, and complete motor paralysis. Early diagnosis via imaging studies and laboratory investigations is critical to minimize the potential for complications. Time is critical in the successful medical treatment of a spinal infection, and early intervention can save the important structure and function of the spine from irreversible damages.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Can you recover from a spine infection?
Yes, with treatment you may recover from a spine infection.
Q. How long can a spinal infection go untreated?
Within 48-72 hours.
Q. Is spinal pain Curable?
Most back pain gets better within a month using the right treatment.
