Medium urgency
-Moderately severe
Inflammation of the disc that cushions the friction between two adjacent vertebrae.
It is usually due to a bacterial infection although it can be caused by other germs.
It manifests with fever and back or hip pain, which usually increases with movement such as walking.
Diagnosis is made by clinical examination, physical examination, blood tests, blood cultures and imaging tests (spinal X-ray, CT and/or MRI).
Treatment includes administration of analgesics, antibiotics and sometimes surgical cleaning.
- Kim HJ, Green DW. Adolescent back pain. Curr Opin Pediatr 2008; 20:37.
- Skaggs DL, Early SD, D'Ambra P, et al. Back pain and backpacks in school children. J Pediatr Orthop 2006; 26:358.
- Selbst SM, Lavelle JM, Soyupak SK, Markowitz RI. Back pain in children who present to the emergency department. Clin Pediatr (Phila) 1999; 38:401.
- Mustard CA, Kalcevich C, Frank JW, Boyle M. Childhood and early adult predictors of risk of incident back pain: Ontario Child Health Study 2001 follow-up. Am J Epidemiol 2005; 162:779.
© TeckelMedical 2026
