Paraspinal Abscess after Traditional Chinese Massage: Report of a Case

Abstract

Traditional Chinese massage is performed frequently for musculoskeletal disorder among the Chinese population. Even though it is popular and considered to be both safe and effective for treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, it may occasionally lead to complications. Paraspinal abscess following epidural anesthesia or acupuncture has been reported in the literature. To the best of our knowledge, however, paraspinal abscess has never been mentioned as a complication of traditional Chinese massage. We report an unusual case of paraspinal abscess where traditional Chinese Massage had been performed. Our patient presented with progressive right sciatica after a period of suffering from low back pain. Fever, intermittent chills and motor weakness of the lower extremities were found in our emergency department. After surgical debridement and aggressive antibiotic treatment, the patient recovered completely.