An unusual aetiology of back pain

Abstract

We present the case of a healthy young man who developed pyogenic myositis, an infection that is rare in the USA. He had no prior medical conditions except for an obsessive-compulsive disorder and skin picking disorder resulting in multiple superficial skin infections. He presented to our hospital with acute back pain. He was found to be septic with fever, tachycardia and elevated white cell counts. Imaging revealed evidence of myositis in the gluteal region. He was treated with antibiotics and fully recovered. It is likely that the skin picking disorder and the recurrent superficial skin infections are responsible for the development of this infection.