Compression Fractures

What are compression fractures?

Compression fractures are cracks in the vertebrae of your spinal column, which often result from osteoporosis, car accidents, falls, or other injuries. Treatment helps you avoid worsening back pain or complications. See the experts at Desert Pain Specialists at the first sign of a vertebral fracture or other causes of severe or ongoing discomfort. 

What are the symptoms of compression fractures?

Compression fractures can cause the following symptoms:

• Sudden back pain
• Pain that worsens when you move
• Reduced flexibility and mobility when you walk, stand, twist, or bend
• Tenderness
• Muscle spasms or weakness
• Back tingling or numbness
• Loss of height

Symptoms of compression fractures range in severity from mild to severe and sometimes crippling.

What increases the risk of compression fractures?

Risk factors for developing compression fractures include:

• Sports injuries
• Falls
• Car accidents
• Work-related accidents
• Osteoporosis
• Cancerous tumors that spread to your spine
• Older age

Osteoporosis causes more than one million fractures yearly, and up to half of people aged 80 and older experience compression fractures.

How are compression fractures diagnosed?

The Desert Pain Specialists team diagnoses compression fractures by discussing your symptoms, how an injury may have occurred, your lifestyle, and your medical history. They examine any painful areas, order X-rays or other imaging procedures, request a bone scan if necessary, and create an effective treatment based on the severity of your injury. 

How are compression fractures treated?

Treating compression fractures at Desert Pain Specialists may consist of:

• Bracing
• Medications 
• Physical therapy 
• Regenerative medicine
• Kyphoplasty

Regenerative medicine injects stem cells into painful or damaged areas to boost new cell growth and optimize your body’s natural healing capabilities.

Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive surgical procedure in which your pain specialist inserts a balloonlike device into your vertebra, inflates it to create a space, and injects bone cement to repair a fracture and prevent further vertebral damage. Complete healing after a compression fracture may take up to 12 weeks. 

Reduce your risk of additional fractures by eating nutritious foods, taking bone-strengthening supplements if asked to, not smoking, and protecting yourself from falls and other injuries. Wear protective equipment while playing contact sports and see your provider at the first sign of pain.

Schedule a compression fracture evaluation at Desert Pain Specialists by calling the office or booking an appointment online today.