The American Center for Spine and Neurosurgery Excellence in Minimally Invasive Care

Symptoms

Slow onset of severe back pain often traveling to other parts of the body including the abdomen, hip, leg, or groin; may or may not be associated with fever, chills, sweats, feeling tired, loss of appetite or other symptoms.

About this Condition

Though infections of the spine are rare, if they are neglected for a period of time, or if there is a delay in diagnosis, they can become a significant source of pain and disability. Bone and joint infections anywhere in the body can be crippling and life threatening.

Discitis is a low-grade infection that affects the disc space between two vertebrae. It is characterized by the slow onset of severe back pain and may or may not be associated with fever, chills, sweats, feeling tired, loss of appetite or other symptoms. The diagnosis is usually made by seeing narrowing of the disc space between two vertebrae, a bone scan that shows that the disc and adjacent vertebrae are "hot" on the scan, or classic changes on MRI scans.

This condition can be very painful and is often aggravated by any movement of the spine. The pain may travel to other parts of the body including the abdomen, hip, leg, or groin. It usually occurs in the lower (lumbar) back and upper (thoracic) back. Young children with this condition are usually irritable and uncomfortable and refuse to sit up, stand or walk. The treatment of discitis generally involves antibiotics, rest, and a brace. Surgery is rarely needed.

 

This content is for your general education only. See your doctor for a professional diagnosis and to discuss an appropriate treatment plan.

Conservative Treatments

Medication and Pain Management

The goal when prescribing medications should be maximum reduction of pain and discomfort with minimal risk of overuse of the medications and avoiding side effects.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) include common over-the-counter drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen among others. These drugs are potent long-term pain reducers that work without concerns of dependence.

Opioid therapy to control chronic back pain is less ideal because of potential toxicity to the body and physical and psychological dependence. Treatment by this class of drugs should generally be a short term option when patients do not respond at all to alternatives.

Pain can often be reduced through the use of muscle relaxants, anti-seizure pain medications such as Neurontin, Topamax, and Lyrica, anti-depressants, and oral steroids.

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Bracing for a Spinal Infection

Bracing is used for 3-6 months following initiation of treatment for discitis, a spinal infection. Note that even with the use of appropriate antibiotics and bracing, collapse of the vertebral segments may occur.

Surgery

Please keep in mind that all treatments and outcomes are specific to the individual patient. Results may vary. Complications, such as infection, blood loss, and bowel or bladder problems are some of the potential adverse risks of surgery. Please consult your physician for a complete list of indications, warnings, precautions, adverse events, clinical results and other important medical information.