Steroid Injections for Back Pain — Warning Update

steroid injections for back painLast year about 14,000 people received steroid injections for back pain that were tainted with the fungus Exserohilum rostratum, a type of black mold that can lead to fungal meningitis.

To date, 58 people died and 745 were sickened by the contaminated injections, but even now some related spinal infections are still being uncovered.

21 Percent of Screened Patients Had Infections They Weren’t Aware Of

In a study of 172 patients who had received one of the contaminated injections but so far had required no medical attention, 21 percent were found to have fungal spinal or paraspinal infections after an MRI screening.[i] Many of the patients were caught completely by surprise by the ‘hidden’ infection, suffering no symptoms or symptoms similar to those that led them to receive the back pain injection in the first place.[ii]

In fact, new or worsening back or neck pain is one of the symptoms that could indicate fungal meningitis, but many of the patients likely believed the pain was due to their prior condition. Other related symptoms include nerve pain and weakness in the legs, which is also sometimes associated with back problems.

The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Anurag Malani, an infectious disease doctor, noted that new cases of fungal infection are likely to appear in the coming months.[iii]

In other words, if you received a contaminated steroid injection for back pain (notification was sent at the time of the outbreak) but haven’t yet suffered any symptoms, you could still be in danger. An MRI screening may help you to uncover a hidden infection that needs to be treated with antifungal drugs or, possibly, surgery.

Contamination is Only One Reason to be Wary of Conventional Back Pain Treatments …

Millions of people receive steroid injections for back pain every year, but many are unaware that, even under the best circumstances, epidural steroid injections provide only short-term relief, which generally wears off in six to eight weeks, and is estimated to be effective in only 50% of patients. There are considerable risks for side effects, too, 11 of which are detailed here (including adrenal insufficiency, spinal headache, seizures and more).

But the root of the issue is that these injections do nothing to address the root of the problem, and that means even if you’re lucky enough to have your symptoms temporarily disappear, your back pain will only continue to worsen over time. IF the injections work for you, you’ll be destined to a lifetime of shots just to feel normal, and that’s no way to live.

The same goes for the NSAIDs, opioids and other prescription and over-the-counter drugs that so many people rely on just to get through the day. You may feel like painkillers were a godsend to help relieve your pain, but this is artificial relief that stops as soon as you run out of pills. Painkiller side effects are no joke either, and run the gamut from liver failure and internal bleeding to heart attacks and even erectile dysfunction. Many also quickly become dependent and then addicted, putting them at risk of deadly painkiller overdoses, which is, sadly, now a growing public health problem.

Get Real About Back Pain by Getting a Real Solution

Steroid injections, drugs and even surgery are not real solutions for back pain; they’re Band-Aids, at best, and the cause of more health problems, at worst (just ask those who ended up in the hospital with meningitis after simply trying to get rid of their back pain!).

You can do better. You deserve better, and that is a real solution to your pain that does not pose even more serious risks to your health. Is there such a thing?

You bet, and more than 64,000 people are already living pain-free thanks to its effects. You see, your back pain didn’t come out of nowhere. Sometimes an injury is to blame but, far more often, it’s simply living that does it — the way you slump in front of your computer, for instance, or years-worth of stress and strain from a long commute, raking leaves, lifting your children and so on.

steroid injections for back painPhysical dysfunctions develop over time — the result of poor posture, repetitive stresses, sitting too much, and so on – and are the direct result of imbalances between various muscle groups, i.e. “muscle imbalances.” Your body is then forced to work each day with this dysfunction and eventually this creates a condition, like a herniated disc or a pinched nerve, for example.

Then the condition causes back pain, and maybe associated pain in your buttocks, legs, shoulders and neck, and as you know, pain is your body’s way of alerting you to a problem that needs to be fixed …  and the solution starts at the foundational level with your original muscle imbalances.

With the Lose the Back Pain System, you’ll first identify the causes of your dysfunctions and muscle imbalances, then implement proven strategies to help reduce and manage your pain so you can focus on correcting the dysfunction(s) that are causing it. You will work on treating the causes and also implementing additional treatments and strategies that are specific to the condition you may have been diagnosed with.

The Lose the Back Pain System is a powerful 3-part program consisting of DVD’s … audio CD’s … and an easy-to-read reference manual:

  • The 2 educational DVD’s walk you through a series of self-assessments designed to help you pinpoint which physical dysfunctions and muscle imbalances you have. You’ll receive your very own notebook to help you keep track of your findings — and keep track of your progress.
  • Once you’ve identified your physical dysfunctions, you’ll discover a customized series of corrective exercises, stretches and self-treatments that are unique to your condition.
  • Each of the 3 audio CD’s contains the latest, clinically proven recommendations, techniques, and treatments that have been clinically proven to help you STOP pain BEFORE it starts!
  • The Lose the Back Pain System also contains an in-depth reference manual that many of our patients refer to as their own personal “back pain” Bible. All of your personal corrective exercises, stretches, and pain-reduction strategies are included in ONE extensive manual for easy access — whenever you need them! Plus, you get diagrams, photos and charts that illustrate every step of each technique so you don’t forget how to perform each exercise properly.

Before you put yourself at the mercy of conventional steroid injections or drugs and simply hope for the best, use the system that really works.

Rid Yourself of Back Pain in Less Than 30 Days, Risk-Free!

Filed Under: Back Pain
Written By:  Updated:
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Jesse Cannone, CFT, CPRS, MFT

Jesse is the co-founder and visionary CEO of The Healthy Back Institute®, the world-leading source of natural back pain solutions. His mission as a former back pain sufferer is to help others live pain free without surgery and pharmaceuticals.

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