injuries and poisoning
Compression Fractures of the Spine
Treatment of Spinal Compression Fractures
Pain relievers Resumption of normal activities (particularly walking) as soon as possible Physical therapy Sometimes a procedure, such as vertebroplasty or surgery Treatment focuses on Relieving pain Encouraging people to start moving as soon as possible Enabling people to function normally Preventing other fractures Most compression fractures heal on their own, although slowly. Pain relievers (analgesics), such asacetaminophen, can relieve pain. Occasionally, when the pain is severe, doctors prescribe opioid pain relievers. If fractures occur in the lower spine, wearing a brace is sometimes recommended to relieve pain and make walking less painful. How effective bracing is remains unclear. Sometimes bed rest is needed for a few days. However, people are encouraged to sit up and walk for short periods and to resume normal activities as soon as possible. Doing so helps prevent loss of muscle tone and additional loss of bone density. People with osteoporosis are treated with Medications and sometimes Physical therapists can help by teaching people how to lift correctly and teaching them exercises to strengthen muscles around the spine, but therapy may need to be delayed until the pain is controlled. Two minimally invasive procedures can sometimes be done to help relieve pain and possibly restore height and improve appearance: Vertebroplasty:After injecting a local anesthetic near the fractured back bone, doctors inject an acrylic bone cement into the collapsed back bone. The cement hardens in about 2 hours and stabilizes the back bone. This procedure takes about an hour for each back bone. People can go home the same day. Kyphoplasty:In this similar procedure, a balloon is inserted into the back bone and is expanded to restore the bone to its normal shape. Then bone cement is injected. Neither of these procedures helps prevent fractures in adjacent bones in the spine or ribs. The risk of other fractures may even increase. Other possible problems may include leakage of the cement and possibly blockage of an artery to the heart ( Acute Coronary Syndromes (Heart Attack; Myocardial Infarction; Unstable Angina) ) or to a lung ( If a fracture is putting pressure on the spinal cord, surgery is done to relieve the pressure within hours if possible. Prompt treatment is needed to prevent permanent injury to the spinal cord. 