Interesting article in the Daily Mail – "Could bacteria have caused your Back Pain? (And will a simple dose of antibiotics cure it for good?)". The suggestion is that injured discs can provide a home for blood-borne bacteria, the resulting infection then affects the bone and makes it swell leading to low back pain. The experiments suggest that small cracks and tears in an injured disc are susceptible to such infections and by treating with antibiotics for 90 days the problem can be cured. The discs between vertebra have very poor blood supply so they might provide a good environment for anaerobic (oxygen hating) bacteria.
I wonder how osteopathy compares. A lot of people find that massage and gentle manipulation eases their pain, maybe the increase in circulation makes the environment less attractive for these anaerobic bacteria. I know a lot of people would prefer not to have to take antibiotics for three months.
[...] alternative theory that I reported on 10 days ago (read here) is that injured discs can become infected by bacteria, presumably methylene blue would act as an [...]