Cervical facet joint septic arthritis: a real pain in the neck.

A 64-year-old man with a complex medical history and previous cervical arthritis with discectomy presents with a 2-day history of neck and lower back pain and shortness of breath, associated with left-sided muscle weakness. He has a fever with severe sepsis causing acute renal failure. MRI spine shows evidence of left cervical facet joint septic arthritis at C6-T1. He required 6 weeks of intravenous antibiotics and intensive support with ventilation and haemofiltration. After completion of antibiotics, he made a full recovery and regained neurological function before discharge. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.