Back pain in children has numerous possible causes. Although chickenpox is an extremely common and contagious condition in the paediatric population, it can be associated with potentially life-threatening musculoskeletal complications. We discuss the extremely unusual case of a child with an extensive subcutaneous lumbar abcess who presented with severe back pain associated with active chickenpox infection.Keywords: abscess, back pain, chickenpox, group A β-haemolytic streptococcus, varicella zoster viru
