Spinal Fracture

Only 10% of spinal fractures affect your neck, while 25% occur in your middle to upper back (thoracic spine) and the rest in your lower back. Haddis T. Hagos, MD, DABA, DABA-PM, Brent Earls, MD, and the team at Pain Management Associates LLC in Greenbelt, Maryland, specialize in advanced, minimally kyphoplasty procedures to treat vertebral compression fractures. These spinal fractures primarily develop in your thoracic spine. They use an advanced minimally invasive procedure called kyphoplasty. To learn more about kyphoplasty, call the office or book an appointment online today.

What causes a spinal fracture?

It usually takes a strong force to cause a spinal fracture. For this reason, car or motorcycle accidents, sports injuries, and falls from a significant height are often the top causes. However, there are exceptions. You can sustain a spinal fracture with very little force if you have osteoporosis.

What type of spinal fracture occurs due to osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis develops over the years as you lose more old and damaged bone than your body can replace with new bone. The bone loss leads to brittle, weak bones that easily fracture from a severe cough, a sudden twisting movement, or falling from a standing height.

When osteoporosis affects your vertebrae, you can end up with a vertebral compression fracture. These fractures occur when the weakened vertebrae collapse under the normal pressure caused by spinal movement.

Osteoporotic compression fractures make the vertebra break down in the front while the bone maintains its height in the back. This creates a wedge-like shape in the vertebra.

What symptoms occur due to a spinal fracture?

Spinal fractures that occur due to extreme force result in severe back pain. However, an osteoporotic compression fracture may cause:

• Minimal pain
• Sudden, sharp pain
• Pain that gradually worsens
• Pain that’s worse with movement (and feels better with rest)
• Round-back deformity (kyphosis)

If two or more vertebrae develop osteoporotic compression fractures, their wedge-like shapes work together to create a rounded shape. Since vertebral compression fractures usually affect your middle to upper back (thoracic spine), you develop a round-back deformity called kyphosis.

How are spinal fractures treated?

Most spinal fractures are repaired with surgery and stabilized with a brace or cast. If you have a vertebral compression fracture, you need an advanced minimally invasive treatment called kyphoplasty. 

The team at Pain Management Associates LLC specializes in kyphoplasty, a procedure that uses a needle to inflate a balloon inside the compressed vertebra. The balloon restores the bone’s regular height, then your provider injects bone cement into the area, strengthening the bone and eliminating your pain.

If you need expert care for an osteoporotic compression fracture, call Pain Management Associates LLC or book an appointment online today.