Understanding Compression Fractures: When to Seek Help

Fractures to your vertebrae can cause you extreme pain, and also affect your mobility. However, if you have compression fractures in Ionia, it will be a thing of the past. The professional interventional pain management specialists will help you resume your active life.

Possible Causes

Injury to your vertebrae most times results in a compression fracture. A typical scenario is when you suffer from a fall or are involved in a traumatic accident. If a weighty item that exceeds your vertebrae stability lands on your vertebrae during the accident, what results is a compression fracture.

Additionally, you may suffer from compression fracture if you have the thinning bone condition, known as osteoporosis. As your bone gradually weakens, you become increasingly unable to support heavy loads on your back. Even the slightest day-to-day activities that exert pressure on your back can be a trigger.

Some severe health conditions are also one of the possible causes of developing compression fractures. One disease includes bone tumors.

Watch Out for the Following

If you are experiencing back pain, it is one of the most common symptoms of compression fracture. As a result, if you have sudden chilling back pains, inform your doctor.

Developing a hunchback as time progresses is also a telltale sign of the compression fracture. Your spine may tend to curve forward and becomes increasingly noticeable with time. What does this mean for you? You may also notice a change in height. If you were 5'3", you might later see measurements like 5'1".

You also develop problems with your nervous system. Remember, your nervous system is held in place by the vertebrae in the spine. Complications to the vertebra also result in lasting effects on the spine.

What Does Your Doctor Say?

Your interventional pain management specialist can opt for different treatment methods to alleviate your condition. For instance, your doctor may choose to perform vertebroplasty on you. In vertebroplasty, your doctor uses real-time viewing with miniature cameras to inject medical-grade acrylic bone cement into your vertebrae.

As a result, when the cement hardens, it strengthens your collapsing vertebra, giving it more stability and also reducing your pain. On the other hand, the doctor may also perform balloon kyphoplasty on your collapsed vertebra. In the procedure, an inflated balloon attached to the vertebra restores the standard height before using the bone cement to stabilize your spine.

Sacroplasty is also an alte ative mode of treatment where your doctor injects acrylic bone cement to your sacrum. After the procedure, the hardened vertebra gives you stability.

The benefits of the procedures are minimally invasive non-surgical techniques that will be faster to heal. Additionally, bleeding and scarring are minimal.

Pain relievers are also a standard prescription to alleviate your pain. Your doctor will inject the acrylic bone cement when you have severe pain, and the vertebral collapse is becoming extensive.

Always ensure to be upfront with your doctor with the compression fractures. Remember, developing more fractures will worsen your posture and mobility.