The spine is the backbone of the human body. It consists of 32-34 vertebrae, which are interconnected by ligaments, cartilage and joints. It can withstand a very heavy load, but when certain factors appear (lifting weight, falling on ice or from a height, hitting, etc.), fractures of the spine may occur. According to statistics, almost 13% of people who have suffered such an injury are disabled.
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Fracture of the spine (see photo below) is divided into two types: compression and decompression. Let's take a closer look at them.
Compression fracture occurs when two forces act simultaneously on the spinal column: tension and compression. This will cause pressure to build up on the discs and in the body of the vertebra, causing it to become wedge-shaped.
Decompression fractures of the spine are the result of a severe stretching of the vertebrae. It can also lead to back injury.brain.
Symptoms
With minor degrees of fractures, symptoms are practically not observed. If the injury is more pronounced, then almost immediately after it is received, the patient has the following symptoms:
- Disturbance of movement in the spine.
- Pain at the site of injury.
- Impaired breathing, up to its delay.
- Pain along the entire length of the spine.
- Pain in the abdomen shingles character.
- Finding the head in a forced position and the inability to move it (if the cervical spine is damaged).
Who is most susceptible to this pathology?
Most often, spinal fractures occur in people who have insufficient amounts of calcium in the blood and bones. These include mainly the elderly and children. Also, those who have been taking hormonal medications for a long time (especially corticosteroids) are also susceptible to this. They have a very strong effect on reducing bone density.
How to treat a spinal fracture?
It will take more than one month to get rid of this injury. As a rule, all treatment is prescribed and carried out under the supervision of a specialist. The first thing that is necessary for this is the strictest observance of bed rest and taking all prescribed medications.
The severity of the fracture and the condition of the patient will also depend on the methods of treatment, the initial task of which is the complete or partial unloading of the vertebra from all loads. This is mainly fortraction.
Fractures of the spine of the initial degrees can be treated conservatively, which will consist of the following activities:
- Wearing a medical corset that fixes the spine along the axis.
- Therapeutic exercise.
- Massage.
- Taking pain medication.
- Physiotherapy treatments.
In more complex situations (such as spinal cord injury), surgery is usually required. It can be performed using vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty. In both cases, the fixation of the vertebrae is performed using special bone cement.
