Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooSpinal Infection

Surgical risk factors include being in surgery for a long period of time, high blood loss, re-operations at the same site and instrumentation (metal implants such as screws and rods). Infections happen in 1 to 4 percent of surgical cases, despite a number of preventative measures. Most infections after surgery occur between three days and three months following the procedure (Gandhi and Schulder, 2024).

The infection can occur in the disc, around the spinal cord, and in the vertebrae.

Modic changes are something different. They are changes in the bone marrow of a vertebra next to a disc, seen on an MRI scan (type 1 Modic changes show oedema, or swelling). They are not the same as a spinal infection. Antibiotics have been tried for long-term low back pain with Modic changes, but a large trial found that three months of antibiotics gave no meaningful benefit compared with a dummy pill (Bråten et al., 2019).

• Antibiotic or antifungal medicines: prescription medicines chosen by your medical team to clear the infection, given as tablets or through a drip into a vein (Gandhi and Schulder, 2024).
• Immobilisation: your medical team may recommend keeping the spine still (for example with a brace) if there is severe pain or the spine may be unstable (Gandhi and Schulder, 2024).
• Surgery: an operation to clean out infected tissue and stabilise the spine may be needed, for example if the bone is badly damaged, the nerves are affected or antibiotics alone are not working (Gandhi and Schulder, 2024).

Once you've been treated and cleared by your medical team, I can help with your recovery.