injuries and poisoning
Compression Fractures of the Spine
Symptoms of Spinal Compression Fractures
About two thirds of the people with compression fractures due to osteoporosis do not have any symptoms. They feel no pain when the fracture occurs. People may become shorter and the back may become rounded (called kyphosis or sometimes a dowager's hump) when several backbones fracture. People may be unable to stand up straight. They may have difficulty bending, reaching, lifting, climbing stairs, and walking. Sometimes a compression fracture causes sudden, sharp pain in the back or pain that develops gradually. The pain may be mild or very severe. It may be constant and dull and may worsen when people stand, walk, bend forward, or sit for a long time. The pain may radiate to the abdomen. Gently tapping along the back, as doctors do during the examination, causes discomfort. The pain typically decreases after about 4 weeks and disappears after about 12 weeks. Compression fractures that do not result from osteoporosis cause sudden pain, and the site of the fracture is tender to the touch. These people usually also have muscle spasms. Often, compression fractures of the spine cause no symptoms. In many older people, the back becomes rounded and bent (sometimes called a dowager's hump) because they have had many vertebral compression fractures. Rarely, the spinal cord or spinal nerve roots (which pass through the spaces between the back bones) are injured. This injury is more likely when the compression fracture results from great force, as occurs in a motor vehicle crash or a fall from a great height. Spinal cord injuriescan cause numbness and loss of sensation, weakness in the legs, and paralysis (see figure). People may become unable to control urination or bowel movements (become incontinent). Spinal nerve root injuriesare usually much less serious. They tend to cause pain that radiates to the leg, and they sometimes cause slight weakness of one leg or foot. 