Researchers Find Antibiotics Can Ease Back Pain

Chronic back pain is one of the most crippling conditions that a worker can suffer as a result of a workplace accident or repetitive stress injury. Now Danish researchers have discovered that antibiotic therapy can help treat back pain.

According to the researchers at the University of Southern Denmark, antibiotic treatment helped cure chronic back pain in 40 percent of cases studied.

The researchers extracted tissue samples from patients who suffered from chronic back pain and discovered that nearly half were infected with bacteria. In about 80 percent of these cases, the bacteria were the type normally responsible for the development of acne.

The researchers believe that the blood vessels carry the bacteria to the spine where they cause an infection. The researchers found that a 100-day course of antibiotics helped reduce chronic pain in at least 80 percent of the patients.

According to the researchers, the findings are conclusive. Those who reported improvements after receiving the antibiotic treatment said that their pain levels dropped and they were able to function and work better.

The findings are good news for some workers who suffer from chronic back pain. But it still remains to be seen how many workers with chronic back pain may be helped by this treatment.

Michael Parsons is an Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer, representing injured workers in the metro Atlanta region and helping them recover the workers’ compensation benefits that they have earned

Source: Copenhagen Post