What Causes Spinal Fractures?

If your bones are healthy, it takes an injury of considerable force to cause a fracture.

A spinal fracture (also called a vertebral compression fracture) occurs when one of the bones of the spinal column fractures or collapses. When more than one spinal fracture occurs, loss of height or spinal deformities such as a dowager’s hump may result.

Certain conditions, including osteoporosis, cancer and long-term use of steroids or other drugs, can make your bones fragile and more likely to break. In older adults, osteoporosis is the primary cause of spinal fractures.

For many, the pain caused by spinal fractures severely limits activity and reduces overall quality of life. [22,51,52,67] Over time, the pain may go away as the fracture heals in its deformed position, but for some, the fractured vertebra continues to break and the pain persists.

If spinal fractures are not treated properly , they can cause serious medical consequences.[22,51,52,67] Balloon kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that can reduce back pain and sometimes correct the spinal deformity.

As of the end of the third quarter 2008, we have treated over 393,000 patients and 460,000 fractures worldwide with balloon kyphoplasty since we commercialized our products in 2000.

This achievement was made possible by the 12,800 spine specialists worldwide who are helping to establish balloon kyphoplasty as the standard of care for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures.

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TOPICS IN THIS SECTION:
What Causes Spinal Fractures?
Osteoporosis
Cancer