Compression Fracture of the Spine

Symptoms of a Compression Fracture of the Spine

• Pain at the site of the fracture.
• Pain may radiate into the hips, buttocks or thighs.
• Neural symptoms such as numbness, tingling, weakness.
• Bladder or bowel symptoms could indicate that the fracture is pressing on the spinal cord.

Causes

Compression fractures, as the name suggests, occur due to a compression force on the spine.

This may happen during a traumatic injury such as a fall from a height, landing on the feet or buttocks.

More frequently, vertebral compression fractures in older people with osteoporosis or other pre-existing spinal conditions where the bone is weak. There may not be one particular incident that causes it and pain may develop gradually.

Due to the weakening of the bone, the vertebra is squashed under the weight of those above it. As the bone thins it can't carry as much load and so fractures occur more easily.

In patients with multiple compression fractures, they may start to develop a bent over appearance. This is because the vertebrae carry their weight through the bodies at the front and so become compressed at the front and remain the same at the back. Imagine a wedge shape!

Nerve involvement is common in both degenerative and traumatic compression fractures due to the close proximity of the spinal cord and nerve roots.

Treatment

Traumatic compression fractures:

• If you have back pain after a fall, seek medical attention.
• After an examination, a Doctor may request an X-ray or a CT scan to confirm the diagnosis.
• Traumatic compression fractures usually require surgery to pin the vertebrae back together and avoid slippage or spinal cord injury.

Degenerative compression fractures:

• Rest from aggaravating activities.
• Alleviate the pain.
• Try to treat the osteoporosis with weight bearing exercise and increasing calcium intake.
• If vertebral collapse is a possibility then surgery may be necessary.
• A procedure called a vertebroplasty may be performed. This involves injected a cement like material into the vertebra to stabilise the fracture and restore the height of the bone.