Prophylaxis
There are no general behaviours or preventive measures to protect yourself from an intervertebral disc inflammation. In principle, any more serious infection can lead to a release of the pathogens into the intervertebral discs. The risk is particularly high in infections of the abdominal cavity, the urogenital tract or the pelvis.
In order to prevent infection in the vicinity of a surgical procedure, sterile working conditions are an absolute must. However, even under the best conditions, wound infections can never be ruled out. In order to recognize an unnoticed recurring intervertebral disc inflammation at an early stage, a regular laboratory examination as well as an X-ray control of the spine is recommended in the first period after the treatment.
Prognosis
Regardless of the therapy, many patients remain with destructive spinal column changes and the neurological limitations caused by these changes, such as disturbances of sensation or motor function. These can also be accompanied by a severe reduction in quality of life. Overall, these limitations are somewhat less pronounced in patients who have undergone surgery.
The risk of a recurrence (recurrence) of the disc inflammation is up to 7%. Only in very severe cases of sepsis, an inflammation of the intervertebral disc can be fatal.
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