If left untreated osteomyelitis can eat away bone and in extreme cases causes paralysis.
“It typically starts in the disc, which is like the shock-absorber of the spine, and it spreads to the bones of the spine,” said Jeffrey Gum, MD, a surgeon at Louisville-based Norton’s Leatherman Spine Center. “Typically in the past, the patients that would get osteomyelitis are older patients with a lot of medical problems.”
Dr. Gum told WDRB.com surgeons are seeing osteomyelitis among heroin users and people who use IV drugs. When someone uses an injectable drug, they shoot bacteria directly into their bloodstream.
In 2012, spine specialists at Norton’s Leatherman Spine Center only saw five patients with serious spine infections. In 2016, they saw more than 100 patients with them.
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