How is this different from a compression fracture?

Osteoporotic compression fractures occur in weakened bone under ordinary load and are usually stable. Traumatic fractures follow significant force and carry a higher chance of instability or neurological injury, so they are assessed differently.

Spine Fractures & Dislocations

Traumatic injury to the spinal column, from stable fractures treated in a brace to unstable injuries requiring urgent stabilization.

Also called broken back, vertebral fracture, spinal trauma, burst fracture.

vertebral body · T12 and L1

A break in the bone of a vertebra, most often at the thoracolumbar junction where a stiff region meets a mobile one.

Shown to explain the anatomy, and not a picture of your own spine. Your own imaging is what shows which levels are involved.

What are traumatic spine fractures?

A fracture or dislocation of the spinal column follows significant force, a fall from height, a vehicle collision, a sporting injury. The critical questions are whether the injury is stable (mechanical stability), and whether the spinal cord or nerve roots have been injured (neurological stability). Those two answers determine everything that follows.

Symptoms

Immediate, severe neck or back pain after injury
Pain that is worse with any attempt to move
Numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or legs
Difficulty walking or standing
Loss of bowel or bladder control

Urgent

Call 911 for any suspected spinal injury after significant trauma. Do not move the person unless they are in immediate danger. New weakness, numbness, or loss of bowel or bladder control after an injury is a medical emergency.

How it is diagnosed

CT is usually the first detailed study after trauma, showing the fracture pattern and alignment. MRI adds information about the spinal cord, discs, and the ligaments that hold the spine together, ligament injury can make a fracture unstable even when the bones look reasonably aligned. Examination of strength and sensation is repeated over time to detect any change.

Non-surgical treatment

Stable fractures without neurological injury are commonly treated without surgery: a brace, a period of activity restriction, pain control, and follow-up imaging to confirm alignment is holding. Most heal well. Bone health is also assessed, since a fracture from relatively low force raises the question of underlying bone weakness.

When surgery is considered

Surgery is indicated for unstable injuries, for fractures compressing the spinal cord or nerve roots, and for injuries that would otherwise heal in an alignment that compromises function. The goal is to protect neurological function, restore alignment, and stabilize the injured segment so that rehabilitation can begin, with the shortest construct that reliably achieves it.

Common questions

No. A large share are stable and heal in a brace with time and activity restriction. Surgery is reserved for injuries that are unstable, that compress the cord or nerves, or that would heal in an unacceptable alignment.