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Spinal Compression Fractures — They’re More Common Than You Think

Spinal Compression Fractures — They’re More Common Than You Think

If you have a spinal compression fracture, yours is 1 of about 1.5 million that occur in the US every year. Our board-certified pain management physicians at Apollo Pain Management treat many cases of spinal compression fractures. When conservative treatments don’t work, we can perform minimally invasive procedures that relieve your symptoms.

Your fracture may have been the result of a traumatic vehicle accident. Occasionally, a tumor causes a spinal compression fracture. 

 If your fracture isn’t from trauma or a tumor, it’s likely the result of osteoporosis, a disease that weakens your bones. Spinal compression fractures caused by osteoporosis are actually more common than hip fractures from osteoporosis. Nearly 50% of people over age 50 are at risk for osteoporosis because of low bone mass that is the precursor to the disease. 

Your bones become less dense, and thus less strong as you age. Your vertebrae are thinner than they were when you were younger. This places you at more risk of a fracture there. 

Although a fracture occurs with trauma, it doesn’t take a traumatic event for a spinal compression fracture to happen. Because your bones are weak, they can sometimes fracture when you’re going about your normal daily activity. 

Spinal compression fractures usually occur in the front part of the vertebrae; the crack shortens that part of the bone. Spinal compression fractures can change your posture and lead you to inadvertently bend forward as you stand or walk. In severe cases, you could wind up with a curve in your upper back. If you have osteoporosis, you may have been surprised at the doctor’s office when the staff checked your height. You may have lost some height since your last annual checkup because of your thinner vertebrae.

Sometimes spinal compression fractures present no symptoms. That’s why it’s important to have a bone density test in your 50s if you’re at risk of bone loss. Symptoms for spinal compression fractures include loss of height, loss of flexibility in your back when you bend or twist, numbness or tingling, and sudden and/or chronic back pain. 

Treatment for spinal compression fractures

Perhaps your primary care doctor is already treating you for osteoporosis. You likely need prescription strength medication and extra Vitamin D and calcium. 

Symptoms from a spinal compression fracture often resolve without extensive medical care. But, for those that do cause disabling pain, we have solutions. 

If you’re in pain from your spinal compression fracture, you may need a brace to immobilize the spine while you’re healing, along with medication and rest. We may prescribe physical therapy to strengthen the muscles surrounding your bones and help improve your posture. 

If conservative measures don’t help, we have options: minimally invasive procedures that can relieve your pain. We can perform a kyphoplasty, which supports the bone and restores vertebrae height with special cement. Alternatively, if your fracture is from a tumor, we can perform spine tumor ablation with radiofrequency, which restores vertebrae height and makes the tumor cells disintegrate. 

Call Apollo Pain Management or book an appointment through our online portal today if you have back pain. We have answers at our offices in Bradenton and Sun City Center, Florida. 

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