Discitis

Discitis is an intervertebral disc infection in young children most caused by S. aureus or K. kingae . Symptomatic patients most commonly present with back pain, refusal to walk or crawl, loss of lumbar lordosis, and inability to flex the lower back. The first-line diagnostic tool is MRI, which demonstrates a shortened, inflamed disc. Treatment generally consists of bed rest in combination with IV and oral empiric antibiotic therapy over the course of several weeks.