Demographic description of the presentation and treatment of lower extremity skin and soft tissue infections secondary to skin popping in intravenous drug abusers.
Pirozzi K1, Van JC1, Pontious J2, Meyr AJ3. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2014 Mar-Apr;53(2):156-9.
My experience in injected drug abusers is there is a high incidence of osteomyelitis affecting the tarsal bones of the foot. The infection source is the infected drug injection sight. Most skin poppers are doing so to use the drugs after the veins in the extremities have scarred down due to repeated injection. That or the drug user is trying to avoid the characteristic track marks on arms and legs.
Podiatric Problems and Management in Patients with Substance Abuse
Gabriel V. Gambardella D.P.M., Chioma N. Odukwe Enu D.P.M., Brian M. Schmidt D.P.M., Peter A. Blume D.P.M. Substance Abuse; 2015, pp 515-536
Lower extremity manifestations of “skin-popping” an illicit drug use technique: A report of two cases
Michael Canales, John Gerhard, Erin Younce The Foot; Article in Press