Septic arthritis of sternoclavicular joint: a case report of a rare finding in injecting drug users

The sternoclavicular joint is an unusual site for bacterial infection. In this case, we describe a 25-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with fever, chills, limited range of motion in the right upper limb along with complaints of severe pain and tenderness in the right upper chest wall and shoulder. He was admitted to the hospital for further evaluation. This patient admitted to a history of injecting heroin use during the previous three months. The diagnosis of septic arthritis of the right sternoclavicular joint was confirmed by blood culture and MRI of the sternoclavicular joint. This case is, to the best of our knowledge, the 25th recorded staphylococcal septic sternoclavicular arthritis. He received appropriate intravenous antibiotic therapy and subsequently was discharged two weeks later with complete clinical and laboratory recovery.