Vertebral compression fractures
Symptoms
-
Back pain with sudden or chronic onset - Shortened height
- Kyphosis (hunchback)
Signs and tests
A
If there is no history of significant trauma, a bone density test needs to be done to evaluate for osteoporosis.
If there is concern that the fracture was caused by a tumor eating away at and weakening the bone, a CT or MRI scan is necessary to get a better look at the bone. Also, if the fracture was caused by high-energy trauma (fall from a height, car accident, etc.) then a CT scan is needed to see if there are bone fragments pressing on the spinal cord.







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