Post-Traumatic Kyphosis

Overview  |   Problems and Challenges  |  Conservative Treatment  |  Surgical Correction

Problems Associated with Compression Fractures

   When soft osteoporotic bone breaks, patients describe onset of significant back pain. Pain can be in the upper or lower back. When the fracture occurs, severe pain can cause a patient to be bedridden for a few weeks. If the vertebra collapses, a deformity forms in the back and the patient begins to hunch forward. This posture can lead to difficulty with breathing and digestion, problems standing up straight, increasing back pain, decreased ability to walk even medium distances, and an overall decrease in the quality of life. When the fracture settles and the patient begins to slouch forward, additional vertebrae are much more likely to fracture, increasing the problem and the hunching forward even further.

The Human Cost of Compression Fractures

   The pain from a fractured vertebra causes a decrease in the level of activity. Patients describe the inability to be up and walking and performing daily activities. Often, depression sets in. Patients develop a lower self esteem as they become more reliant on others for their daily care. Anxiety is common as patients are concerned about their increasing dependence on others.

   According to a 1998 study there is a significant decrease in the lung function in patients with thoracic or lumbar fractures. Each thoracic or upper back fracture causes a 9% loss of vital capacity of the lungs (Journal of American Respiratory Disease).

   In a retrospective analysis of five-year survival rates done at the Mayo Clinic, patients with osteoporotic compression fractures of the vertebra were found to have a worse than expected survival rate for the five years following the fracture. This decrease in survival rate was found to be similar to those patients who sustained a hip fracture. The most common cause of premature death was pulmonary disease, emphysema and pneumonia.

Overview  |   Problems and Challenges  |  Conservative Treatment  |  Surgical Correction