Compression fracture is the most common type of fracture affecting the spine. A compression fracture of a spine bone (vertebra) causes the bone to collapse in height can result from a car accident or work injury.
Spine bones that are weakened from osteoporosis or other diseases may become unable to support normal stress and pressure. As a result, something as simple as coughing, twisting, or lifting can cause a vertebra to fracture.
An injury to the spine, such as from a hard fall on the buttocks or blow to the head, can cause a spinal compression fracture. Compression fractures may also occur if cancer from other parts of the body spreads to the spine. Cancer weakens the spine bones and makes them prone to fractures.
The vertebrae are stacked on top of one another to create the spinal column. The main section of each vertebra is a large, round structure called a vertebral body. Compression fractures cause this section of bone to collapse. A bony ring attaches to the back of each vertebral body. When the vertebrae are stacked on one another, the bony rings form a hollow tube. This tube, or canal, surrounds the spinal cord.
Severe compression fractures from forceful impact on the spine, as can happen in a car accident or a fall at work, can cause fragments of the vertebral body to push into the spinal canal and press against the spinal cord causing partial or complete paralysis.
Strong, healthy bones are able to withstand the forces and strains of normal activity. Compression fractures in the spine happen when either the forces are too great or the bones of the spine aren’t strong enough. The vertebral body cracks under pressure. Fractures from forceful impact on the spine tend to crack the back (posterior) part of the vertebral body. Fractures from osteoporosis usually occur in the front (anterior) part of the vertebral body.
Spine trauma can produce mild or severe compression fractures. Compression fractures from trauma usually involve high forces that impact the spine when it is bent forward. This is typically what happens when a person falls onto the buttocks or strikes his head on the windshield in a car accident. Again, these traumatic fractures usually affect the back part of the vertebral body.
McCormick Law Office attorneys in Milwaukee, Wisconsin have experience with traumatic compression fractures from automobile collisions and work accidents. Traumatic compression fractures produce intense pain in the back that may spread into the legs. Such a fracture may also cause the spine to become unstable. When this happens, the spine eventually tilts forward into increased kyphosis, and the potential grows for future complications with the spinal cord. Believe in better.
Recent Comments