A 65 year old female presents to your OPD with severe pain in her back that took place when she was bending yesterday at home to pick up a brick.

 A 65 year old female presents to your OPD with severe pain in her back that took place when she was bending yesterday at home to pick up a brick.

You decide to do an X-ray Lumbosacral spine lateral view which is shown below.

1 . What are the findings in the LSS X ray?

2. What are the causes of these fractures?

3. What further investigations should be performed?

4. What are the management principles of these fractures?

Answers given in the comments section.

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1 . What are the findings in the LSS X ray?

X ray LSS shows compression fracture of LV1 ( lumbar vertebra L1) and reduction in intervertebral space L1 and L2.

2. What are the causes of these fractures?

Causes of compression fracture:

Weakness of bone , eg Osteoporosis

Fall

Injury

Excessive force.

Metastatic disease.

3. What further investigations should be performed?

3. MRI spine

CAT scan

Nuclear bone scan

DEXA scan

4. What are the management principles of these fractures?

Management principles

Immobilize

Analgesia

Bone protection

Bracing

Refer to spinal team and Orthopedic , Orthogeratrics and Neurosurgeon for further Mx