About Spine Fractures

Every year approximately 700,000 individuals in the United States are diagnosed with a painful vertebral compression fracture (VCF). Approximately 250,000 of these individuals go on to receive treatment to relieve the often debilitating pain associated with these fractures.

A vertebral compression fracture (VCF) is a condition that occurs when one or more of the 24 bones in your back, called vertebrae, collapse. The collapse is commonly caused by osteoporosis and less often by tumor or trauma. When the fracture occurs as a result of osteoporosis, the vertebrae in the middle and lower spine are most often affected and the painful symptoms may become worse with walking.

With multiple fractures, your back may develop a forward curve, also called a dowager’s hump. Pressure on the spinal cord may occur and lead to symptoms of numbness, tingling, or weakness. In some patients, the fractures heal without treatment and the pain goes away. In more severe cases, the bone does not stabilize but continues to move, causing persistent pain that limits physical activities and reduces the overall quality of life.

For over twenty years, spine specialists have been successfully treating patients with these fractures by employing minimally invasive, mostly outpatient interventions.