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.

Dermatillomania: Strategies for Developing Protective Biomaterials/Cloth

“…Skin picking can be a very dangerous behavior, capable of manifesting some very serious life-threatening or near-fatal conditions [ 66 , 70 , 71 ]. Other cases have demonstrated rectal bleeding and solitary rectal ulcer [ 12 ], lower gastrointestinal bleeding and anorectal disease [ 72 ], loss of penis after recurrent ulcers and multiple reconstructive surgeries [ 73 ], pyogenic myositis caused by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus [ 74 ], picker’s or prurigo nodules [ 75 ], as well as Pilomatricoma, all resulting from skin picking [ 76 ].…”

A Tough Case to Crack: Diagnostic, Ethical, and Legal Considerations in Treating Compulsive Neck Cracking

“…Although compulsive behaviors may result in minor physical injuries, more significant injuries are typically considered rare [3]. A review of the literature reveals that these uncommon major complications may include genital mutilation, loss of vision, severe infection, or rectal prolapse [4][5][6][7]. There has also been one report of tibial stress fracture related to compulsive jump roping, as well as a single case report of compulsive joint clicking [3,8].…”