How to Recognize the Early Signs of a Spinal Compression Fracture

Your back is essential when it comes to your posture and ability to move around. Yet, almost 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with new spinal compression factors each year. A quarter of these fractures occur in postmenopausal women. Elderly people are most at risk, and it’s an injury that can lead to chronic pain and loss of mobility.

When you have a spinal compression fracture, the earlier it’s diagnosed and treated, the lower your risk of chronic pain and chronic back issues. Discover what these compression injuries are, who’s most at risk, and how Premium Sports and Orthopedics can help with treatment.

What Is a Spinal Compression Fracture?

Your spine is important in helping you stand, walk, bend, and twist properly. It’s made up of several bones, known as vertebrae, that are connected by flexible joints known as facet joints, ligaments, and tendons.

Most people have 33 vertebrae when they’re born, but the lower spinal vertebrae fuse when you reach adulthood, leaving you with 24 vertebrae, typically.

Sometimes, people have an extra bone in the lumbar area. Otherwise, most adults have:

• 7 neck vertebrae form your cervical spine
• 12 middle back vertebrae for your thoracic spine
• 5 lower back vertebrae form your lumbar spine

Sometimes, those vertebrae experience stress and form small fractures. A spinal compression fracture is a tiny crack that forms in one or more of the vertebrae in your spine. There are three different levels of fractures.

• Burst – Bone breaks into different pieces and spreads out. This is a severe fracture that needs immediate medical care and possibly a spinal fusion surgery.
• Crush – The break affects the entire vertebrae, causing that bone to collapse. Non-surgical treatments are possible, but sometimes surgery is needed if the pain is severe.
• Wedge – The fracture forms in the front of the vertebrae and causes a wedge shape. This is the most common type of compression fracture, and non-surgical treatments are often recommended.

In addition, you could have a stable fracture, meaning the bone doesn’t shift out of place. The other form is an unstable fracture where the bone moves out of place and impacts nearby nerves and tissue. 

They can happen in any part of the spine, but they’re more common in the mid-section (thoracic spine). Trauma during a fall or car accident, cancer within the spine, and osteoporosis are the two leading causes of a compression fracture. 

Who Is at Risk?

Compression fractures in the back are more common in women. Especially women who are 50 or older, had an oophorectomy (surgical removal of the ovaries) before menopause, or have been through menopause. That doesn’t mean only women are at risk. Around half of adults 80 or older have experienced a compression fracture at some point. Other risk factors include:

• People who are over the age of 50.
• People who are overweight.
• People who have had compression fractures in the past.
• People who have health conditions, such as osteoporosis, that impact bone strength.
• People who smoke.
• People who’ve undergone chemotherapy.
• People with a poor diet, especially those who do not get enough vitamin D or calcium.
• People who’ve used corticosteroids for longer than recommended.

What Are the Symptoms?

How do you know if you have a compression fracture? In the early stages, you may not notice. As the fracture worsens, there are many warning signs.

• Chronic back pain
• Curvature of the spine
• Difficulty with mobility
• Digestive issues like constipation
• Hip pain
• Loss of height
• Muscle spasms and weakness
• Numbness and tingling in your back
• Pain that is worse when standing or walking but goes away when lying down
• Tenderness in the area of the fracture
• Worsening flexibility

Back pain is one of the first signs. The earlier you see a doctor, the easier it is to heal from a compression fracture and prevent future fractures.

What to Do If You Suspect You Have a Spinal Compression Fracture

If you believe you might have a spinal compression fracture, don’t wait it out. Make an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. Ask for a referral to an orthopedist to have a bone density scan and a spinal scan completed.

If you let a spinal compression fracture go untreated, you could end up with:

• Chronic pain
• A hunched appearance
• Loss of bladder and bowel control
• Mobility issues
• Worsening fractures

How Is It Diagnosed?

To diagnose this type of fracture, imaging is completed. A CT scan, MRI, or X-ray is used to look closely at the soft tissue, muscles, and bones in your back. Bone density tests are also used to determine if you’re experiencing bone loss.

Sometimes, a series of several bone scans is taken over time to compare the bones and assess fractures in the early stages.

Before these imaging tests, your doctor will talk to you about your and your family’s health history. Expect the doctor to look at your height, posture, and spinal alignment. The doctor will press on your spine to find pain points and look for possible nerve damage or muscle weakness.

Treatment Options for Spinal Compression Fractures

The best treatment for a spinal compression fracture depends on the severity of your fracture. Generally, these fractures are treated through:

• Minimally invasive surgeries to stabilize the vertebra
• Pain management with over-the-counter NSAIDs or prescription muscle relaxers
• Physical therapy to strengthen the back muscles
• Prevention of additional fractures through prescription medications and dietary measures to strengthen weakening bones
• Stabilizing the spine using back braces

Ideally, you want to avoid surgery. This is possible if you catch spinal compression fractures in the early stages. When you do, they can heal on their own, especially if you wear a brace or follow an orthopedist’s instructions on protecting your spine while it heals.

Schedule an Appointment Today

Lower back pain isn’t something you have to live with, even if it’s common and affects 8 out of 10 people. We’ll work with you to determine the extent of your injury and the best treatment options that may include:

• FDA-approved therapies and non-surgical treatments
• Massage
• Physical therapy
• Weight loss and fitness programs

Schedule an appointment with Premium Sports and Orthopedics to discuss spine pain. Our doctor diagnoses the exact issue and creates a treatment plan that eases your pain and improves your quality of life.