Many people may mistake their back pain for something minor when it’s actually a spinal fracture. The confusion is common because these conditions share similar symptoms, and honestly, many tend to “power through” the pain, believing everything will improve with time.
Dr. Benjamin Cohen treats these conditions and more, but he’s particularly invested in educating patients about how to spot fracture indications, since it’s a more serious condition. As a partner in your care, Dr. Cohen is committed to identifying the underlying cause of your pain and developing a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific needs.
Back pain and mobility problems plague millions of people per year. About 75-85% of people experience some type of back pain during their lives.
We can injure, strain, or sprain our backs doing many things, including overuse, lifting something heavy incorrectly, or a traumatic accident. Living with an underlying condition, such as being overweight or obese, also stresses the back.
Pulling, tearing, or twisting a muscle or tendon that supports your spine constitutes back strain.
You may experience muscle cramps or spasms, pain that worsens with activity, and mobility challenges. You might have trouble walking, standing up straight, or bending forward or sideways.
A back strain can cause you to be less active and experience reduced bone density, decreased flexibility, and weakened muscle strength in other parts of your body.
A spinal fracture is distinct from back strain, however, in substantial ways. We want to clear up any confusion because not seeking prompt treatment for a fracture has serious implications.
The cause of a spinal fracture is nearly always a major traumatic incident, like a vehicular accident, a fall from a significant height, or an injury suffered while playing sports. Gun injuries also cause spinal fractures.
Traumatic accidents cause about 150,000 spinal fractures yearly, but the bone weakening condition osteoporosis is linked to 1.5 million compression fractures (vertebral collapse) annually. An infection or a spinal tumor can also cause compression fractures.
Fractures cause more severe symptoms. The pain is worse and can be excruciating, and it intensifies over time. Your movement may be limited significantly. You can also experience:
In addition to spinal fractures causing more intense, noticeably different symptoms, another major difference between a simple pulled back muscle and a spinal fracture is that the pulled muscle often improves within about two weeks (though not always).
A spinal fracture, however, typically worsens if it isn’t treated, or the underlying condition causing it — such as osteoporosis — isn’t addressed.
Once Dr. Cohen evaluates you, orders and reviews imaging and neurological tests, and discusses your symptoms and any potential injuries with you, he devises a personalized treatment plan. He starts with conservative treatments, like immobilizing your back with a brace.
However, Dr. Cohen may recommend a surgical solution to realign your bones, stabilize your spine, or relieve pressure on your spinal cord.
Though Dr. Cohen is versed in diverse surgical procedures to treat spinal fractures, three types that he performs frequently are lumbar vertical body placement, kyphoplasty, and vertebroplasty:
Dr. Cohen then places a small metal cage containing bone graft materials in the spot where the vertebral body was removed. While the vertebral body heals, new bone grows and extends outside the cage, gradually fusing with the natural bone.
Dr. Cohen is highly skilled in performing minimally invasive surgery, which involves small incisions and is less traumatic to the body. It’s associated with faster healing and less pain, bleeding, and scarring.
Contact our Garden City office at 516-246-5008, or reach out to us through our website to start a conversation.
