This fracture is usually understood as a mechanical injury to the spinal column that occurs with simultaneous flexion and compression of the vertebrae. And even though none of us are immune from such a diagnosis, modern medicine makes it possible to successfully cope with it. The main thing is to contact specialists in a timely manner and follow the instructions!
As a rule, the thoracolumbar spine suffers more often than others from this diagnosis, but it has been proven that many people have a compression fracture of the thoracic spine.
People who are susceptible to osteoporosis are at risk. Since we are talking about bones, it is quite obvious that if bone tissue is damaged and its weight is further reduced, even a slight load can become fatal. It is not surprising that older people can suffer a spinal injury even when bending over normally.
Compression fracture in children
According to statistics, children receive this type of fracture less often than adults (in approximately 2% of cases of total injuries). Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely eliminate the risk of injury to the vertebra, and all because of the anatomical structure. As a rule, a child can become hostage to an unpleasant situation in the event of an unsuccessful fall on his back, in which case the fracture is localized in the thoracic region.
It is very important to promptly identify such an injury in a child. Delay, or incorrectly developed treatment, suggests the development of dire consequences, including kyphoscoliosis of the spine.
If a child was injured on the playground (fell from a swing or slide), was careless when climbing trees, or fell while walking on the roof of a nearby garage, parents should definitely consult a specialist. Remember that diagnosing such an injury in a child is not easy!
Symptoms of a crack in the spine
The first signs of a spinal fracture are acute pain and the inability to move your legs or arms. Any attempt to stand on your feet or make any movement of the body results in acute piercing pain.
Clinical symptoms of a fissure in the spine develop gradually:
- the primary pain syndrome gradually subsides provided that the patient takes a static position and lies on his back on a flat, hard surface;
- a feeling of numbness appears in the part of the body for which the damaged segment of the spine is responsible for innervation (if the crack is in the lumbar region, then numbness can cover the anterior wall of the abdomen, thigh, lower leg, etc.);
- paresthesia occurs (a feeling of tingling, coldness, heat, electrical discharges, crawling sensations) - this indicates that post-traumatic swelling of the soft tissues is developing and they are compressing the radicular nerves;
- muscle weakness appears, it becomes difficult to move.
The patient may experience increased general anxiety, sometimes turning into panic. Against this background, a person can jump to his feet and try to run, jump, trying to get rid of the state of increasing numbness of the body. This should not be allowed under any circumstances. Such behavior can only harm the victim.
Symptoms of a fissure in the lumbar spine may include involuntary urination and bowel movements. In the future, the patient may develop paresis of the bladder and large intestine. It is necessary to pay attention to this and carry out corrective treatment.
To make an accurate diagnosis, an x-ray is necessary. To do this, you need to contact a traumatology department. It is not recommended to move independently when the clinical symptoms described above appear. You need to take a static position lying on your back and call an ambulance team. They will conduct an initial examination and take the patient to the trauma department.
Spinal fracture: consequences
Any spinal injury is dangerous for a person! With a compression fracture, things are extremely sad: with such an injury, the damaged vertebra is pressed into the spinal canal, which subsequently leads to compression of the spinal cord and the development of severe neurological complications.
I don’t want to scare readers, but in some cases this type of fracture can cause paralysis of the limbs and even completely immobilize a person.
There are cases in which a compression fracture causes loosening of the vertebrae in the injured area, and this is the path to kyphoscoliosis. No less frightening are cases of damage to nerve endings, which may not occur immediately after injury. If the problem is not identified in time, circulatory problems may develop.
The only chance to avoid a fatal outcome is to immediately contact a doctor who will conduct a high-quality diagnosis and be able to come to competent treatment.
Causes of injury
Damage occurs due to strong compression when a vertical load is placed on the spinal column. As a result of twisting or a strong blow, fragmentation and other types of fractures more often occur.
Children and the elderly, as well as patients suffering from thinning bone thickness, are at particular risk. Even a slight load can lead to serious damage.
People who lead an active lifestyle and love extreme sports often experience fractures in the thoracic area.
Signs of illness and first aid
As already noted, in most cases only a doctor can determine the presence of a spinal fracture. The latter prescribes the patient an X-ray of the spine, computed tomography (sometimes X-ray is sufficient, but if not, CT can confirm or refute the diagnosis), MRI (this is needed if damage to the nerve endings of the spine is suspected). The doctor also conducts 2 more studies on the patient: a neurological examination and densitometry (if the development of osteoporosis is suspected).
As you know, every injury can be mitigated if qualified first aid is provided to the victim in a timely manner. When you receive a compression fracture of the spine, it is important not to hesitate to call an ambulance, and then to properly transport the victim. The transfer of the patient, as well as his transportation in transport, must be carried out with the utmost care, thanks to which it is quite possible to avoid the displacement of fragments.
Anatomical structure of the spine
The spinal column consists of the sacrum, coccyx, and the vertebrae themselves, which are connected to each other by intervertebral discs. The spine makes the human torso flexible and ensures unhindered movement of the body in all directions. In addition, the spine is the basis for the formation of the thoracic, abdominal and pelvic regions of the body. Thanks to it, the human body has the ability to bend and unbend (frontal line), tilt left and right (sagittal line), and also twist in different directions (vertical line).
The cervical and lumbar regions are characterized by the highest mobility function. Each spinal segment belongs to a true or false group. The true group includes the vertebrae of the cervical, lumbar and thoracic regions, and the false group includes the sacrum and coccyx. A true group of vertebrae is characterized by their connection with the help of cartilage, the so-called intervertebral discs. This natural anatomy of the spinal skeleton gives natural flexibility and range of motion.
The most mobile areas of the spine are the cervical and lumbar regions
The spinal cord is localized in a special canal of the spinal column, which is formed by the body and arch of the vertebra. The end part of its arch is directly attached to the sides of the vertebral body, at the ends of which there are special “slots”. They form intervertebral spaces, inside which the entire length of the spinal cord, with all its nerves and vessels, passes. There are seven processes on the vertebral arch, one of which is unpaired, and the rest are pairs of superior, inferior and perpendicular spinous processes.
The vertebrae located in the thoracic region differ from those in the lower back in that they are connected to the ribs, and the size of their bodies is smaller. The body of the lumbar vertebrae, on the contrary, is wider and has an oval shape. The branches of the lumbar vertebrae are located in a straight line with a vector directed backwards, while the thoracic branches are located somewhere in the middle between the horizontal and vertical angle of departure from the base.
Treatment
Treatment methods for the fracture in question depend primarily on the severity. Stage 1 involves conservative treatment: taking painkillers. A little later, it is advisable to start physiotherapeutic procedures and massage. According to doctors, wearing a special corset at this time is mandatory. This fixes the spine, which speeds up the restoration of performance. To speed up the rehabilitation process and relieve pain, minimally invasive treatment of a fracture is used: vertebroplasty with bone cement. This type of treatment allows the patient to avoid wearing corsets and quickly recover from injury.
If we are talking about the third and fourth degree of fracture, we can talk about surgical intervention.
Modern treatment methods can solve any, even the most serious problem, but the main thing for the patient is to find a real specialist. The latter will definitely suggest the best ways out of the situation; will give recommendations regarding the use of medications that affect the rate of vertebral recovery.
Our center has the ability to provide surgical treatment for spinal fractures around the clock!
In the most difficult cases, the doctor may insist on a surgical solution to the problem. Examples of surgical treatment of a fracture in our center:
Diagnostics
In anticipation of a full diagnosis, specialists make a tentative diagnosis, and subsequently develop a step-by-step plan for examining the patient. Palpation occurs in those areas where the patient experiences pain. The condition of the muscles and sensitivity of the limbs is assessed. The examination also includes checking tendon reflexes, tension of nerve endings and other highly specialized tests. This allows for an analysis of the patient's condition.
In order to confirm the diagnosis or obtain its refutation, radiography is mandatory. This examination helps specialists see the nature of the injury. It is performed using an X-ray machine, and the results of the study are displayed on a special film. The image clearly shows the bone structures.
In many cases, for a more in-depth examination, the patient is prescribed another diagnostic study - CT. This diagnosis reveals not only the transformation and changes in the bones of the spine, but also determines injuries to other organs. The result of a CT scan is a final image that combines a number of x-ray images from different angles.
A thorough diagnosis is necessary to accurately determine the pathology.
In cases where the integrity of the spinal cord is suspected, MRI becomes appropriate. This is the latest type of examination, which allows you to thoroughly examine any structure in the patient’s body, be it ligaments, muscle tissue, spinal cord or nerve fibers. The operation of such a device is based on electrical and magnetic pulses, which act together and produce a detailed analytical result of the study. With their help, measures to diagnose the structure of soft tissues in the human body are carried out absolutely painlessly. The main advantage of magnetic resonance imaging is its proven safety. And qualitative research significantly helps many specialists.
Rehabilitation
Once a vertebral compression fracture is successfully treated, the patient will require rehabilitation. This plays an important role in full recovery, and only through rehabilitation measures can it be possible to eliminate neurological disorders resulting from injury and restore mobility.
The main rehabilitation points include:
- therapeutic exercises;
- massage;
- electrical stimulation.
Any actions of the victim should be carried out only after consulting the attending physician!
How to treat a fissure in the spine
Treatment of spinal fissures takes place in three stages:
- First medical aid is provided, which consists of placing the victim on his back and ensuring immobility until the ambulance arrives;
- immobilization of the body is ensured so that the bone tissues grow together and a strong bone callus is formed;
- rehabilitation is carried out in order to restore all functions of the spinal column and surrounding tissues.
Before treating a fissure in the spine, it is necessary to exclude the possibility of a concomitant fracture or displacement. This requires an x-ray. After all damaged tissues have restored their integrity, rehabilitation must begin immediately.
In our manual therapy clinic, treatment of spinal fissures is carried out during the rehabilitation phase. To do this, the vertebrologist develops an individual recovery course for each patient. It may include the following types of impact:
- massage to restore tone and elasticity of muscles, ligaments and tendons;
- osteopathy to enhance the processes of microcirculation of blood and lymphatic fluid in order to accelerate tissue regeneration processes;
- therapeutic exercises to strengthen the muscular frame of the back and restore its functionality;
- reflexology to launch regeneration processes at the cellular level using the hidden reserves of the human body;
- physiotherapy, laser treatments and much more.
If you have been diagnosed with a fissure in the spine and you need to undergo a full course of rehabilitation, then you can make an appointment for a free appointment with a vertebrologist in our manual therapy clinic right now. To do this, fill out the registration form located below on the page. The administrator will contact you and agree on all the details of the upcoming visit to the doctor.
Specifics of damage
Various spinal injuries can occur in any part. Injuries are divided according to the state of the nervous system. In this case, the fracture is either accompanied or not accompanied by damage to the spinal cord.
Vertebral injuries are divided into multiple (when several vertebrae are damaged at once) and combined (when a fracture combines injury to the vertebrae along with a violation of the structure of other bones and tissues).
If the fracture is accompanied by disruption of the spinal cord, the situation becomes more complicated.
The largest percentage of dislocations are diagnosed in the neck, since it is considered the most mobile part. Fractures of the spinous processes can be found in the chest, neck and lower back. Any type of spinal deformity entails severe pain when the damaged area moves.
Contraindications for spinal massage
Despite the fact that massage is an integral part of the treatment of a compression fracture of the ridge, it still has some contraindications, which, if ignored, can create even greater problems. Contraindications include:
- blood diseases, bleeding, hemorrhages;
- acute inflammatory process, accompanied by severe malaise and elevated body temperature;
- skin diseases;
- thrombosis, varicose veins;
- various skin lesions, wounds, scratches, as well as warts and rashes;
- aneurysm of the heart, aorta;
- Quincke's edema;
- unstable blood pressure;
- pain in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting.
There are some contraindications for massage
