OVERVIEW
A vertebral compression fracture (VCF) occurs when a bony block or vertebral body in your spine suddenly collapses.
Older people and those living with osteoporosis are at an increased risk of experiencing a VCF at some point in their life. Osteoporosis weakens bones until they are brittle enough to collapse during daily activities, such as opening a window, twisting, or bending. Severe cases of osteoporosis can cause a VCF when performing routine, innocuous activities, such as coughing or sneezing. While osteoporosis is the leading cause of VCF, trauma or injury can also cause a spinal collapse.
VCFs are also known as a vertebral fracture, osteoporotic fracture, and wedge fracture. They are rarely associated with permanent nerve or spinal cord damage but can compress these areas, resulting in less blood and oxygen reaching them. Blood clots can form in the legs due to decreased usage. Vertebral fractures often result in a permanent loss of height and lifelong severe, chronic pain. Spinal deformity and muscular atrophy are common symptoms of a fractured spine, and in rare circumstances, your internal organs may become crowded following a VCF.
Additional Reading
The most common location for a wedge fracture is the thoracic spine, but these can occur in any part of the spine. You can sustain multiple compression fractures in different parts of your back simultaneously. While you can effectively treat a VCR at home by resting, you should seek medical attention to identify the cause of the fracture and ensure there are no other injuries to the surrounding nerves or spine.
A compression fracture will typically heal itself through rest in around three months; however, you should still seek medical attention to identify the cause of the fracture. If you recently sustained trauma to your back, diagnostic testing can identify any other injuries to the surrounding nerves or spine. Medical professionals will be able to run tests to see if you have osteoporosis and create a treatment plan. Those who sustain one osteoporotic fracture are more likely to have another in the future, but properly treating osteoporosis can decrease that risk. VCFs are highly underdiagnosed by doctors or those experiencing one because they automatically assume the cause of the back pain is a muscle strain or soft tissue injury. Researchers estimate only one-third of all VCFs that occur in the United States per year are actually diagnosed as such. The diagnosis process for a compression fracture can be long and arduous; however, identifying the underlying cause is pivotal for creating an effective treatment plan.
