If you experience backaches regularly, it could be more than just the aches and pains of age. You could have a compression fracture in your spine. A compression fracture happens when a vertebra—one of the bones that make up the spine—collapses. This can happen due to an injury, repeated damage to the spinal cord that results in small cracks, an accident or an illness such as cancer or arthritis.
Symptoms of a Spinal Compression Fracture
Compression fractures have a number of symptoms. Not only can they cause your spine’s shape to change—giving it a more curved appearance or causing you to appear more stooped—they can also reduce your height as actual bones in the spine are compressed.
Pain from a compression fracture may not be limited to the spine. It may also cause arm or leg pain, numbness or weakness in your limbs. This is due to the compression impacting nerves in your spine. For some patients, a compression fracture can cause sudden, severe pain, leading them to search for a “pain clinic near me.” For others, gradual deterioration of a vertebra that leads to a fracture may not cause any sudden pain, but rather ongoing discomfort.
Available Treatments
Depending on the nature of your compression fracture, your treatment options may include medication, physical therapy or wearing a back brace. Since compression fractures can impact the strength and stability of the spine, you may need surgery to help remedy the issue.
Fortunately, there are non-invasive options for treating compression fractures. Our pain and wellness center offers kyphoplasty, which is a procedure that uses a device to permanently help restore the height and strength of the spine after a compression fracture.
Let Us Help Relieve Your Pain & Restore Your Quality of Life
Could your frequent backaches be the result of a compression fracture of the spine? Find out from one of our experienced pain management physicians at Summit Spine & Joint Centers. Contact our pain and wellness center at (770) 962-3642 or reach out online to schedule a consultation today. We’re offering both in-person and virtual appointments!