Vertebral Fractures

Examples include the following:

• Advanced age
• Asthma
• Cirrhosis
• Diabetes mellitus
• Emphysema
• Menopause
• Oophorectomy, bilateral
• Renal disease, chronic
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Transplants
• Tumors, parathyroid-related peptide
• Vitamin D deficiency

According to the Osteoporosis Foundation:

• 700,000 vertebral compression fractures occur each year
• Vertebral fractures result in 150,000 hospitalizations annually
• Vertebral compression fractures are twice as common in females
• 26% of women aged 50 years or older have vertebral fractures
• Vertebral fractures are present at a rate 33% in patients older than 85 years
• 6.7% of women become dependent on others for daily living because of osteoporotic vertebral fracture.
• In 1995, the cost of treatment of vertebral fractures in the United States was $746 million

Once a vertebral compression fracture occurs, the risk of additional fractures in adjacent vertebrae increases 5-fold.

One third of all spinal compression fractures are painful. For many, this can minimize the quality of life and cause an increasing decline in health and, in some cases, death.

Thankfully, new surgical advancements have provided a way to manage the pain, shorten the recovery time, and restore mobility. By eliminating the need for extended nursing and rehabilitation care, the high costs of treating osteoporotic vertebral fractures should be decreased.

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