A compression fracture is a collapse of a

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates,Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characteristic ...

. It may be due to trauma or due to a weakening of the vertebra (compare with

burst fracture A burst fracture is a type of traumatic spinal injury in which a vertebra breaks from a high-energy axial load (e.g., traffic collisions or falls from a great height or high speed, and some kinds of seizures), with shards of vertebra penetrating s ...

). This weakening is seen in patients with

osteoporosis Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to bone fragility, and consequent increase in fracture risk. It is the most common reason for a broken bone ...

osteogenesis imperfecta Osteogenesis imperfecta (; OI), colloquially known as brittle bone disease, is a group of genetic disorders that all result in bones that break easily. The range of symptoms—on the skeleton as well as on the body's other organs—may be mi ...

, lytic lesions from metastatic or

primary tumor A primary tumor is a tumor growing at the anatomical site where tumor progression began and proceeded to yield a cancerous mass. Most cancers develop at their primary site but then go on to metastasize or spread to other parts of the body. These fur ...

s, or infection. In healthy patients, it is most often seen in individuals suffering extreme vertical shocks, such as ejecting from an

ejection seat In aircraft, an ejection seat or ejector seat is a system designed to rescue the aircraft pilot, pilot or other aircrew, crew of an aircraft (usually military) in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an ex ...

. Seen in lateral views in plain

x-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

films, compression fractures of the spine characteristically appear as ''wedge deformities'', with greater loss of height anteriorly than posteriorly and intact pedicles in the anteroposterior view.

Signs and symptoms

Acute fractures will cause severe back pain. Compression fractures which develop gradually, such as in osteoporosis, may initially not cause any symptoms, but will later often lead to back pain and loss of height.

Diagnosis

Compression fractures are usually diagnosed on spinal radiographs, where a wedge-shaped vertebra may be visible or there may be loss of height of the vertebra. In addition,

bone density measurement Bone density, or bone mineral density, is the amount of bone mineral in bone tissue. The concept is of mass of mineral per volume of bone (relating to density in the physics sense), although clinically it is measured by proxy according to optical ...

may be performed to evaluate for osteoporosis. When a tumor is suspected as the underlying cause, or the fracture was caused by severe trauma, CT or MRI scans may be performed. L4 compressionFracture2008.jpg, Compression fracture of the fourth lumbar vertebra post falling from a height. Compressionfracture.jpg, X-ray of the lumbar spine with a compression fracture of the third lumbar vertebra. File:T12compressionfracMark.png, Compression fracture of T12

Treatment

Conservative treatment

* Back brace for support while the bone heals—either a Jewett brace for relatively stable and mild injuries, or a thoracic lumbar sacral orthosis (TLSO) for more severe ones. *

Opioids Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically they are primarily used for pain relief, including anesthesia. Other medical uses include suppression of diarrhea, replacement therapy for opioid use ...

or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain. For

osteoporotic Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disorder characterized by low bone mass, micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue leading to bone fragility, and consequent increase in fracture risk. It is the most common reason for a broken bone am ...

patients,

calcitonin Calcitonin is a 32 amino acid peptide hormone secreted by parafollicular cells (also known as C cells) of the thyroid (or endostyle) in humans and other chordates. in the ultimopharyngeal body. It acts to reduce blood calcium (Ca2+), opposing the ...

may be helpful.

Surgical

* Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty are minimally invasive procedures that inject cement into the bone of the back that is fractured. However, the data examining the effectiveness of these procedures is mixed.

References

External links

{{Authority control Bone fractures Orthopedic problems