A single injection containing methylene blue could make the difference when it comes to lower back pain. The study that took place in China showed the treatment is effective in 90% of cases; 19% of patients no longer experienced pain and 72% having slight pain that required no medication.

Methylene blue is believed to play a key role in the production of nitric oxide which reduces inflammation and also to have a beneficial effect on nerves around scar tissue. The injection could revolutionize the treatment of lower back pain and make spinal surgery for back pain obsolete.

‘The clinical trial indicates that the injection of methylene blue into the painful disc is a safe, effective and minimally invasive method for the treatment of intractable and incapacitating disc-related lower back pain,’ say the researchers.