Osteoporosis is a primary cause of vertebral fractures, or fractures which occur in the vertebrae  - the bones that make up the spine. Normal pressure causes the weakened backbones of people with the disease to break or cave in.

Spinal Fracture Likely
Osteoporosis weakens and thins bones so that an everyday act such as bending over or picking up a bag of groceries can cause a spinal fracture. In advanced cases, something as simple as sneezing or coughing will initiate a spinal fracture.

The bone compression so common in osteoporosis often leads to the front of the spine collapsing, causing a great deal of pain and leading to a permanently altered spine shape and reduced spine strength.

Typically, someone with a vertebral fracture has a wedge-shaped vertebrae where the rear portion is unchanged but the front height is reduced a minimum of 15 to 20 percent. These compression fractures are most often found in the upper back, leading to the stooped appearance so common in older women with osteoporosis.

Diagnosing Spinal Fractures
These spinal fractures are quite common. Estimates are that nearly a million people in the U.S. have spinal fractures as a result of osteoporosis, but only a third of them are diagnosed. Why the gap?

Many times, a physician will assume that the patient has general back pain, which can commonly occur in soft tissue such as muscle. However, the following symptoms of vertebral fractures could signal the need for further investigation of back pain:

1.    Loss of height when standing
2.    Deformity of the spinal column
3.    Back pain occurred suddenly rather than over time
4.    Standing or walking intensifies the pain
5.    Loss of motion in the spine
6.    Pain lessens while lying down on your back

Osteoporosis Back Pain
In most cases, the back pain associated with a spinal fracture will be worse during the four to six weeks following its onset. This acute pain is then replaced by an achy feeling which gradually subsides over a matter of weeks or months. However, some people’s back pain becomes chronic due to deformity or  inactivity.

A variety of risk factors influence who will get back pain with osteoporosis. The good news is that there are exercises you can do to minimize the chance that you will have chronic back pain.

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