She is the creator of the continuing education course, Working with Osteoporosis and Osteopenia. VCFs can lead to chronic pain, disfigurement, height loss, impaired activities of daily living, increased risk of pressure sores and psychological distress. I have to sleep in a hospital type bed due to the fact of not being able to lay flat, and sleep at nearly a ninety degree angle. These were the findings. Margaret. Someone suggested cold but that doesnt seem to help. Also, because the tightness in her chest has been reduced, she feels a little bit more erect. Vertebroplasty entails injecting liquid cement into a collapsed vertebral body through a needle inserted transpedicularly. I would appreciate your comments. Heat seems to help. Treatment typically involves surgery to stabilize the bone and relieve pressure on the spinal cord. It is important that you keep this in mind and I recommend that many people consider couples therapy during times of stress. I cover important topics related to osteoporosis exercise including: Enter your email address and I will start you on this free course. Can lead to multiple anterior wedge fractures: increased thoracic convexity. Thanks for your thoughts. Do not bounce. I am now 71 years old. I have ordered your book and hope that will give me some guidance to nurture my strength and hopefully can contact you for a more individual consultation. This article was last updated on October 10, 2022, Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis, Stronger Bones Stronger Body workout video, Dowagers Hump, buffalo hump, or neck hump, http://hudson.org.au/latest-news/muscle-mass-crucial-to-preventing-bone-fractures-in-young-people-with-cerebral-palsy/, https://melioguide.com/health-guides/better-sleep/, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5800651/, https://melioguide.com/health-guides/activities-of-daily-living/, https://melioguide.com/services/phone-or-online-consultation/. My GP, an internal medicine specialist, has began slowly tapering me off of the high dose steroids, introduced vitamin D and hormone replacement therapy to my daily regime, and as well started me on the first yearly/bi-yearly round of the IV infusion medication Reclast. It turned out that Brenda came to this conclusion prematurely. I have days when I feel the pain is never going to go away. She is now paying the price. My clients come to see me after they have been diagnosed and no one has told them that their vertebral fractures can get worse (until they meet me). For example this is a good source of couples therapy in Toronto. Be vigilant about your activities of daily living go back often to the link to safe moves located inside Exercise for Better Bones. 13 It is . Recall that Brenda experienced severe back pain during her trip to Africa likely brought on by a compression fracture. Physical examination reveals- tenderness when palpating or directly percussion over the area of the fracture, spasm in paraspinal muscles. The group that did just extension exercises (group #1) had a very low rate of fracturing. I will often see women carry heavy purses and they go to sit down and theyll rotate and drop their purse to the side. This is a substantial difference. If you do not have the flexibility in your hips to do so you can get get a sock helper. Damage to the lumbar spinal cord subsequently affects the . Martin Dunitz, 1998, Sujoy M, Yu-Po, L. Current concepts in the management of vertebral compression fractures. All the best to you and your Mum. All tell me that the decline in strength impacts their quality of life. Hi Ann. It is not something I wish on any of you. You may have to be assertive to get your needs met. Tapering the steroids will help. The x-ray image of the spine below shows a compression fracture. I would come to see you! Use extra pillows to ensure a supportive sleeping position. Stop the stoop how to avoid kyphosis and rounded shoulders. The heat helps the muscles to relax. Movements like create a very compressive load and put your spine at risk of a compression fracture. Fracture types. I have really appreciated all the tips you have shared and will definitely look into some of the equipment you suggest. If you have a compression fracture, it is so important for you to be really meticulous about your alignment because those fractures will get worse. Multiple compression fractures. Check with your doctor about the best weight -bearing exercises for you, such as: Walking Yoga. The last type of compression fracture is classified as complex. We covered these in this blog post. > than 80 years (40% of the women at this age have received at least one compression fracture). I find that many people do not understand the importance of good posture, good movement and the potential repercussions on the health of their spine. (1) They are generally classified when at least 20% of the height of the affected portion is lost. Bob & Brad 4.56M subscribers Subscribe 4.4K Share 188K views 5 years ago "Famous" Physical. Brenda concluded that her bones were healthy because of her exercises, diet and Prolia injections. She was able to manage the pain because she had some over-the-counter pain medication with her. A simple yet effective stretching exercise for the lumbar spine is to sit on the floor, legs outstretched in front of you. Here are several movement strategies that will reduce your risk of a compression fracture. Other causes include injuries to the spine and tumors. Thank you so very much for your useful information, Hi Margaret Martin, Thank you for your video. If you currently have a 30% compression of your vertebral body, it can become 40% or even 50% compressed. They likened the healing to when a knuckle has a skin crack and if you keep bending it that it takes longer to heal. Physical Therapy Exercises for Numbness in Leg, 5 Stretches to Relieve Pain in Your Tailbone, University of Maryland Medical Center; A Patient's Guide to Anatomy and Function of the Spine; Sept. 28, 2007, Spine Universe; Compression and Wedge Fractures: Treatment and Recovery; Thomas A. Zdeblick, MD; Dec. 10, 2009, Spine-Health; Physical Therapy Benefits for Back Pain; Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD; Sept. 8, 1999. A great resource on exercise and osteoporosis is my free, seven day email course called Exercise Recommendations for Osteoporosis. I am unsure how best to treat it. I too have been very mindful of bone strength and my genetic vulnerability way before menopause. Approximately 60% of older men with small osteoporosis-related compression fractures reported new or worsening back pain. Due to the Personal Health Information Protection Act of Ontario, I do not use a public forum to discuss individual situations. There are several medical management methods to treat a lumbar compression fracture.Before anything else you need to control the pain: NSAIDs are often first-line drugs for back pain as they do not have sedating effects. Let your partner know how you feel and discuss the support you need. Oper Tech Orthop 2011; 21:251-260 (Level of Evidence 2A), Kim DH, Vaccaro AR. After you provide your email address, you will receive seven consecutive online educational videos on bone health one lesson each day. The bending is happening in the knee and hip as opposed to the spine. Every time she improves in her exercises, her muscles are activated; and every time those muscles are activated, she is stronger in whatever she does, whether its getting off the toilet, getting out of a chair, getting out of bed in one smooth motion. Brenda has had to embrace the crumpled look because everything hurts around her middle. https://melioguide.com/health-guides/better-sleep/ Margaret. After the diagnosis of compression fractures, Brenda was given strong painkillers that helped manage the pain and allowed her to sleep. All of those exercises are incredibly safe and progressive. Margaret, Margaret/Richard: My sincerest appreciation for ALL of the information provided, as this was genuinely the most informative online information I have read, in the last 5 months of exhaustive research. Top Contributors - Remko De Smedt,Ivakhnov Sergei, Andreas De Feyter, Lucinda hampton, Kim Jackson, Lien Hennebel, Lauren Lopez, Rachael Lowe, Sam Verhelpen, WikiSysop, Alexander Ghyssels, Joshua Samuel and Aminat Abolade. Learn more about compression fractures onmy Osteoporosis Guidelines page. This type is an unstable fracture and may cause severe spinal cord compression. The PT therapists Ive consulted with are too scared to even advise how to brush my hair or teeth correctly for my issues, as for fear a light breeze my way could finish breaking me completely. It operates like the weighted kypho orthosis vest mentioned earlier in this blog post. The group that did no exercise at all (group #4) still had a very high rate of fracturing. Watch on 6 Compression Fracture Symptoms Watch on Compression Fractures: Exercises to Avoid Watch on Flexion and Extension of Vertebral Column Watch on Increase your standing tolerance and overall strength. Lumbar compression fracture clinical presentation. Thank you for reaching out and caring. I have been reading your book, and I have been doing your DVD. Percutaneous vertebral augmentation, including vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty, can be considered in patients with inadequate pain relief from nonsurgical care, or when persistent pain substantially affects quality of life. Once you get the okay from your physician you can start into the Posture and Beginner strength exercises in Exercise for Better Bones. They want me to start a Forteo which is very expensive which my copay is $900 a month. Start at the thoracolumbar junction and extend to the promontorium of the sacrum. Studies have shown that both drugs and even the combination of the two drugs helps to protect you against more fractures. Compression fractures occurred at the following rates by group: The study found that fractures occurred at a very high rate, 89%, in the group that had done flexion exercises (group #2), such as sit ups and toe touch exercises. . (Level of evidence: 2A), Meunier PJ. Thank you for this video. I think it is very important to have a physical therapist who specializes in PT for osteoporotic patients. If you have the protein, which is acidic, make sure you increase you intake of fresh fruits and vegetables which are alkaline and help balance the acidity in protein. Brenda is a retired teacher. The lumbar disk works as a cushion for the mechanical loads. I too have been active most of my life and am finding the overall adjustments I have to make as a result of my osteoporosis a bitoverwhelming at times but this video has been very inspirational. Osteoporotic spine fractures can be graded based on vertebral height loss as: The figure on the right gives an illustration of the anatomy of the lumbar spine: The lumbar vertebrae are the 5 largest and strongest of all vertebrae in the spine and the strongest stabilizing muscles of the spine attach to the lumbar vertebrae. A compression fracture can happen anywhere along the spine. How you move throughout the day, the exercises you do, how you lift, how you bend, how you get in and out of bed all of these things can either keep the vertebra from becoming more compressed or cause further collapse. Hi Karen, thank you for sharing your story. Sixteen percent in comparison to 90%. https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/309615-clinical. Strengthening of abdominal, gluteal and hip muscles is important to support spinal structures with noncompressive forces and can be done for integrating the exercises into a more functional rehabilitation programme. Please bring this question to your physician. Will be purchasing book but was wondering whether your video would be of benefit as well. But, Brenda was not aware of the kinds of exercises that were detrimental to her spine. She was diagnosed with osteopenia. To practise these exercises, follow the film or download the accompanying fact sheet, ' Exercises for back pain after spinal fractures '. Since you deal with osteoporosis patients I am curious..can a DXA scan be completely wrong? Your situation does not sound unusual. Physical examination findings are often normal, but can demonstrate kyphosis and midline spine tenderness. A compression fracture is a type of broken bone that can cause your vertebrae to collapse, making them shorter. Fractures may be mild to severe. Margaret has trained physicians, Physical Therapists and other healthcare staff at Genesis Rehab Services, Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, Charles Lemoyne Hospital in Montreal, Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre, Bruyere Hospital in Ottawa, Osteoporosis Canada, and West Carleton Family Health in Ottawa. They had an easier outcome of doing their tasks of daily living, their functional mobility was improved and their balance was improved. Due to an underlying health condition, I was placed on high dose prednisone steroids, that in just 2 years time, weakened my bones so severely, that I have encountered SEVEN vertebral compression fractures in the last 5 months. Have you ever heard of this type of pain? If you who are not familiar with flexion and extension exercises, I have two photos showing each type of exercise. That initially helped with the general pain. I had a fragility fracture of T9 mid August 2019 (about 6 months ago). I find that many of my clients do not have enough protein in their diet. I would GREATLY appreciate any advice you have in what type of expert/specialist I need to find that can help with my back and these fractures. Exercises in which you bend forward at the waist and twist your waist, such as touching your toes or doing sit-ups, can increase your risk of compression fractures in your spine if you have osteoporosis. Mornings are so hard!! Unfortunately, a lot of women and men do not exercise until something happens and their body does not have a positive association with exercise. I would have preferred one with the information you have provided about getting in and out of bed, what to avoid doing, posture etc. The physiotherapist (the one she saw before she came to see me) helped with the pain. To get out of bed, log roll onto your shoulder and then push yourself up with your hands until you are in a sitting position. I decide the appropriate mix of strength and trunk control exercises based on my assessment of the individual. Permanente Journal 16.4 (2012). Consider sleeping in your own bed so that you do not have the worry of your partners movements jarring your back. If your BMD numbers have been worsening but you feel that you could improve your nutrition and your exercise to reduce bone loss then it is an approach worth taking regardless of whether you take pharmaceuticals. VCF occurred one to 72 months after yoga exercise initiation, with four patients having fractures within one year of starting yoga. My pain lasted approximately six months each time. Earlier Brenda recommended that people make sure calcium be part of their diet. The expense of Forteo would be for 18 months whereas the expense of Prolia would be for 10 years. [Epub ahead of print], Kim L Bennell, Bernadette Matthews, Alison Greig, Andrew Briggs, Anne Keppy, Margaret Sherburn, Judy Larsen, John Wark. Following a compression fracture in the spine, patients are often instructed to wear a brace for 6 to 12 weeks, followed by supervised physical therapy exercise. Thanks so much. [5]. Ann Bouwkamp, Hi Ann, Sorry to read about your vertebral fractures. I can so relate to all the aspects of pain and limited movement although I wasnt quite as bad as above. She experienced really bad vice-like grips around her right hip after an episode with the spasms. Basic equipment is required and is outlined in the DVD. Fractures of lumbar vertebrae occur in the setting of either severe trauma or pathologic weakening of the bone, see image R L4 compression fracture. Brenda finds the strengthening exercises to be very beneficial. But all that changed 100% because of the pain. The indications for surgical management of lumbar compression fractures are discussed in Surgical Intervention. I think that is very important. I do not recommend that every one with a compression fracture do all of these exercises. Keep your knees bent, roll your shoulders and knees simultaneously. Since you have had a second fracture, despite a change in diet and PT, it appears that it is not enough to protect you from future fractures. Brenda had to use a walker for the first time ever in her life after the compression fracture. The illustration to the right shows the cross section of a vertebra of the spine. Consider wearing a waist belt to support the space between your lower ribs and pelvis.