The Wedge Fracture of the Spine

A wedge fracture, also called a compression fracture, is the collapse of one of the vertebrae, the individual bones that make up the spine. As vertebrae commonly tend to collapse on one side during trauma to the back, the fallen vertebra creates a triangle, or wedge, against surrounding vertebrae.

Causes

• Osteoporosis, or the thinning of bones, is the most common cause of wedge fractures. As the risk for this disease increases with age, the risk of wedge fractures also increase with age. In younger or healthier people, an automobile accident or a fall might cause a wedge fracture.

Complications

• A collapsed vertebra will cause severe pain if lodged against a nerve. A wedge fracture that impacts the spinal cord may cause a loss of sensation in the surrounding extremities.

Treatment

• Doctors treat most mild to moderate wedge fractures with immobilization in a brace for six to 12 weeks. Brace treatment not only helps relieve the pain, but also reinforces the normal positioning of the spine to reduce deformities such as a "hunchback" look. Invasive surgical treatments for more severe cases involve injecting bone cement into the fracture, which immediately restores spinal shape, and spinal fusion, in which doctors use a plate to connect fractured vertebrae to healthy ones.