Every move you’re physically able to make relies on your spine. It’s incredibly strong, but at the same time, it’s vulnerable to disease and injury that can severely reduce your mobility and affect your quality of life. A compression factor can strike anyone and worsen over time if left untreated. At the first sign of back pain, visit the top back pain specialists in Manhattan at Pain Management NYC for a firm diagnosis and targeted treatment designed to reduce your pain and get you back to living life fully.
A compression fracture occurs when one or more vertebrae are pressed together into a wedge shape. This type of fracture usually happens in the thoracic or lumbar region of your back, which leads to middle back pain or pain in your lower back, respectively.
If you suffer from any type of back pain, notice that you’ve lost some height or have developed a stooped-over posture, you may have a compression fracture. At New York Pain Management Center, experienced Manhattan pain management doctors perform the most effective compression fracture treatment. Relying on interventional pain techniques, the best NYC pain specialists offer the most advanced diagnostic equipment and provide a multidisciplinary approach to pain relief.
Causes of Compression Fractures
Compression fractures occur when the vertebral block of your spine becomes squished or collapses. The main causes of compression fractures include:
- This is a condition that causes thinning of your bones. This disease also makes them brittle and weak. It’s the most common cause of compression fractures. While you may think osteoporosis only affects women, you’re wrong; men can develop the bone weakening condition too. If you’re at least 50 years old, get bone density tests regularly.
- Traumatic accidents. Any injury to your back that stresses the bones beyond their breaking point may cause a compression fracture. Examples include a fall or a car accident. Playing sports in which you consistently fall or get hit in the back, like football or soccer, is another source of compression fractures.
- Weakening of your vertebrae. If you’re younger than 55 and haven’t been injured in a trauma, a compression fracture may indicate another cause for weakened vertebrae, such as metastatic cancer that has spread to the bones of your spine. Have any back pain examined!
When bones have been weakened because of osteoporosis, bone degeneration or illness, compression fractures can happen from seemingly minor movements, such as bending forward or lifting an object. When a fracture is caused by trauma, you may also suffer spinal cord injuries or fractures in more than one place.
Risk Factors for Developing Compression Fractures
The aging process is one of the biggest risk factors for experiencing a compression fracture. Vertebral compression fractures affect as many as one out of four postmenopausal women. As you get older, your risk of having a compression fracture increases, whether you’re a woman and a man.
Having one compression fracture increases your risk of having others. Individuals with one of many types of cancer are at risk, as the cancer can metastasize in your spine. Interventional pain management ensures you receive treatment for a compression fracture, combined with pain management for your symptoms.
Symptoms of a Compression Fracture
Compression fractures caused by osteoporosis may not give you any symptoms at first. These fractures are often discovered accidentally when you have x-rays taken for another purpose. As the fractures worsen, symptoms of a compression fracture become more evident. They include:
- Sudden sharp back pain
- Intensifying back pain when standing or walking
- Decreased spinal mobility
- Decreased pain when lying on your back
- Numbing or tingling along your spine
As time passes, compression fractures can cause you to become shorter. You may experience a spine deformity called kyphosis or hunchback that curves your upper back. This is a condition that affects nearly three million people in the U.S. and can happen at any age.
Treatment for a Compression Fracture
Compression fracture treatment may include physical therapy to strengthen the muscles around your spine. In some cases, you may need a back brace to prevent you from bending forward and to support your back. Top pain management doctors in New York may consider minimally invasive procedures to relieve your pain and discomfort, including:
- While you lie face down, a needle is injected into the fractured spine bone. The pain management doctor uses x-ray guidance to inject acrylic bone cement into the fracture. The cement hardens within a few minutes, stabilizing the fractured vertebrae.
- Kyphoplasty procedure. This is similar to a vertebroplasty, with one difference. When the needle is injected into your spine bone, a balloon is placed through the needle and inflated. This can help to restore your height. Bone cement is then added.
- Trigger point injections. These injections reduce any swelling that’s occurred and provide temporary relief while you undergo physical therapy or other treatment modalities.
The goal of compression fracture treatment provided by Pain Management NYC is to reduce pain and restore mobility. If you believe you may have a compression fracture, consult the best pain doctors in New York for an accurate diagnosis and regenerative treatment plan designed just for you.
Leon Reyfman, MD, is a top-rated, best-in-class interventional pain management doctor. He is a nationally recognized pain relief specialist and is among the top pain care doctors in New York City and the country. He is an award-winning expert and contributor to prominent media outlets.
Dr. Leon Reyfman has been recognized for his thoughtful, thorough, modern approach to treating chronic pain. He has been named a “top pain management doctor in New York” and one of “America’s Top Doctors™” for advanced sports injury treatments. Among other accolades, he was voted by peers as a “Castle Connolly Top Doctors™” and “New York Super Doctors™”. Dr. Leon Reyfman was a part of the medical team at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.