Atypical back pain in a child: subcutaneous lumbar abscess associated with chickenpox

Abstract

Back pain in children has numerous possible causes. Although chickenpox is an extremely common and contagious condition in the paediatric population, it can be associated with potentially life-threatening musculoskeletal complications. We discuss the extremely unusual case of a child with an extensive subcutaneous lumbar abcess who presented with severe back pain associated with active chickenpox infection.

Keywords: abscess, back pain, chickenpox, group A  β-haemolytic streptococcus, varicella zoster virus