Acute septic arthritis of the right sacroiliac joint following uncomplicated spontaneous vaginal delivery at term: A case report

Introduction: We present a case of acute septic arthritis of the right sacroiliac joint following uncomplicated spontaneous vaginal delivery at term. Postpartum acute arthritis has not been reported adequately in literature. Case Report: A 34-year-old female presented with back pain, pelvic pain, and difficulty in walking seven days postnatally. A definitive diagnosis of primary right sacroiliac joint septic arthritis was eventually made by MRI. The patient had 12 days of intravenous antibiotics. During this time, she slowly begun mobilizing again, firstly with the aid of crutches and then independently. Conclusion: There is a long list of differential diagnosis of postpartum pelvic and back pain which makes diagnosis of the etiological factor difficult. However, when reviewing a postpartum patient with low back pain or posterior pelvic pain clinicians should consider postpartum sacroiliitis to initiate prompt management and avoid missing a potentially life-threatening diagnosis.