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Swimming or water aerobics may be good options for people with compression fractures. You may need to limit your activity or take breaks often to rest your spine. If you have a compression fracture, talk to your doctor about the best way to stay active. Walking can actually make compression fractures worse by putting additional pressure on the bones of the spine. Walking is a great way to get exercise and improve your overall health, but it’s not always the best choice for people with compression fractures. Treatment for a compression fracture typically includes rest, pain medication, and wearing a back brace. They can also lead to deformity of the spine and difficulty moving. Compression fractures can be very painful.
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They can also be caused by osteoporosis, a condition that weakens the bones and makes them more susceptible to breaks. Compression fractures can be caused by trauma, such as a fall or a car accident. They can also occur in the thoracic spine, or mid-back, and the cervical spine, or neck. Compression fractures most often occur in the vertebrae of the lower back, or lumbar spine. These discs allow the spine to move and absorb shock. The vertebrae are also separated by cushions of cartilage, called intervertebral discs. The bones of the spine, or vertebrae, are stacked on top of each other and held together by ligaments.
T12 COMPRESSION FRACTURE FULL
But his medical team has likely performed a series of scans and assessments to ascertain the full extent of any damage, and to decide on the most appropriate course of treatment.A compression fracture is a type of break that occurs in the bones of the spine.
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We’re not familiar with the details of Andrews’ case. This process often involves rehabilitation with physiotherapists and other health-care providers. If there’s no associated spinal cord injury or damage to the nerves in the area, a full recovery is likely, but this can take weeks or months. Patients with associated rib fractures may sometimes even have pain with breathing (particularly when taking big breaths). In general, a patient with a fractured T7 would experience pain when moving, and have difficulty standing for long periods. Victorian emergency departments during COVID-19: overall presentations down but assault, DIY injuries up In this group, males are significantly more likely to be injured. This is often a car accident, or a high-energy fall such as falling down the stairs. In younger patients, spinal fractures are much more likely to be the result of an accident. Vertebral fractures and the road to recoveryįractures (breaks) of the bones in our spine become more likely as we age, and are more common in women over 60, whose bones may be weaker as a result of osteoporosis. As this bone also has a pair of ribs attached, it is not a surprise his reported injuries also include broken ribs. The fracture seen in Andrews’ case appears to involve the seventh thoracic vertebra (T7), which is roughly halfway down the back. These attachments mean this region of the spine is much stiffer and less flexible than the other areas. The area Andrews has injured, the thoracic spine, forms a semi-rigid cage due to its attachment to the ribs. There are seven cervical vertebrae (C1-C7), 12 thoracic vertebrae (T1-T12), and five lumbar vertebrae (L1-L5). Your vertebral column (or spine) is composed of five main areas: the cervical spine (neck), the thoracic spine (where your ribs attach), the lumbar spine, and finally the sacrum and coccyx. Many of these are related to the bones that make up the spine.Įach of the individual bones in this region are called “vertebra”. ShutterstockĪbout four million Australians, or one in six, suffer from back problems. The spine is often describe as consisting of five main areas.
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