A lot of people have died and are still dying as a result
of fungal contaminated steroid injections they received for their back
pain. Their deaths could have been avoided
– if only they had the right information.
There have been no scientific studies that substantiate the
reliability, safety or effectiveness of steroid injections for the relief of lumbosacral
pain. For that reason, The American Academy of Family Physicians does not
recommend these injections as part of its treatment program.
It's estimated that at least 80% of cases of chronic,
lumbar pain is due to mechanical (i.e., musculoskeletal) causes. It
should be remembered that chronic, low back pain is self-limiting and will
resolve within 6 months without any treatment whatsoever.
I can empathize with back pain sufferers who desperately
seek relief from chronic, agonizing low back pain. However, I'm sure
there were those whose pain was somewhat endurable and could have been helped by
a good physical therapist.
Telling a person with excruciating back pain to be patient
is like telling a drowning person that help is on the way. The treating
physician might have told his patients that the pain would resolve by itself
and that a physical rehabilitation program would shorten the recovery time.
If he had given his patients this advice, instead of an injection, ( in
many cases, a series of injections ) they could have avoided the lethal
injection.
Read about
diagnostic and therapeutic injections in Back Surgery – Avoid the Nightmare by Benjamin Goode.