Whole body

What It Is

Vertebral compression fractures are fractures that occur when a vertebra (one of the bones of the spine) breaks and collapses. The most common cause is osteoporosis, a condition in which the bones become thin and fragile, but they can also be caused by trauma to the back and by cancer, either spreading to the bone from elsewhere or starting in the spine, such as multiple myeloma (MedlinePlus, 2025). Symptoms usually include back pain, which can come on suddenly and be severe, although some fractures cause no symptoms at first. In rare cases they can cause numbness, tingling, weakness, difficulty walking or loss of control of the bladder or bowel (MedlinePlus, 2025).

By far the biggest cause of wedge fractures is osteoporosis (MedlinePlus, 2025). If the spine is osteoporotic, the bone is thinner and even small traumas or falls can cause a collapse. In fact, the fracture is often the first sign that a person has weak bones (AAOS, n.d.). The collapse can even happen during everyday activities such as reaching, twisting, coughing or sneezing, so some people have no memory of a fall or injury (AAOS, n.d.).

These fractures often happen after a fall (AAOS, n.d.). The most common place for spinal fractures is the level between the upper and lower back, known as the thoracolumbar junction, around the T12 and L1 vertebrae and the vertebrae next to them, such as T11 (Ghadiyaram et al., 2024). This is roughly at the level of the waistline (AAOS, n.d.).

Your doctor can use several different tests to confirm whether you have one of these fractures.

Vertebral Crush / Compression Fracture Anatomy

Bones in the spine are known as vertebrae (plural); there are 24 of them, stacked one on top of each other (AAOS, n.d.). They are joined by facet joints and by the discs that sit in between each vertebra. Spinal nerves leave the spinal cord at each level through openings between the vertebrae, known as foramina.

When the vertebra crushes or collapses, it tends to collapse at the front while the back stays intact (AAOS, n.d.). This is why compression fractures are sometimes known as "anterior wedge fractures". As the bone at the front of the vertebra collapses, it forms a wedge shape. The severity of the fracture affects how much wedging occurs. Also, if there is underlying weakness in the bone, for example from osteoporosis, the wedging is likely to be more pronounced.

In a younger person without osteoporosis, the trauma would need to be significant, such as a bad fall or a car accident, to have enough force to fracture the vertebra.

How to Diagnose a Compression Fracture to the Spine

Diagnosis is not always easy and it's possible for these fractures to be missed. Some cause no symptoms at first and are only found on X-rays taken for another reason (MedlinePlus, 2025). In some cases the history alone strongly suggests a fracture, for example if a person known to have osteoporosis has had a fall. However, in many cases the pain can seem like other problems in the spine. Your doctor will examine your spine and posture, press on parts of your back to find where the pain is coming from, and check your nerves for numbness, reflex changes or weak muscles (AAOS, n.d.).

An X-ray is usually used to look for a compression fracture. An MRI scan can show whether the fracture is new, and a CT scan can show whether the fracture has spread into the spinal canal. Your doctor may also check for osteoporosis with a bone density scan, called a DEXA scan (AAOS, n.d.).

Problems Following a Crush Fracture to the Spine

In the early days there will be pain around the injury site. It often gets worse when you move, especially when changing position, and resting or lying down often helps (AAOS, n.d.). Many people recover well: a spinal fracture usually takes between 6 and 12 weeks to heal (Royal Osteoporosis Society, 2022), and most people feel better within 3 months without surgery (AAOS, n.d.).

The broken bone heals in its new, compressed shape, which can lead to some loss of height and a change in body shape (Royal Osteoporosis Society, 2022). For some people, pain continues after the fracture has healed. This is caused by the change in the shape of the spine, which can strain the joints, ligaments and muscles of the back, irritate nerves, or make existing arthritis worse (Royal Osteoporosis Society, 2022). If you still have pain after three months, there are things that can help you manage it, so talk to me or your family doctor or nurse practitioner.

Not a diagnosis — for more information, contact me or another trusted healthcare provider.

Treatment

Self-Care & Treatment

How to Treat Vertebral Crush / Compression Fractures

Physical therapy and gentle exercise can improve movement and strength around the spine and ease tension and muscle spasms in your back, and once the fracture has healed you can start to build up the strength in your back muscles (MedlinePlus, 2025; Royal Osteoporosis Society, 2022). I can help with gentle hands-on work and a graded exercise programme that fits your medical team's advice. See the My Approach tab for how I work.

1. Pain Relief

The Royal Osteoporosis Society (2022) suggests that, when you are ready, taking a pain-relieving medicine can help you stay active. Medication won't help the fracture heal, but it can help you deal with the pain. Ask your pharmacist or your family doctor or nurse practitioner which pain relief is suitable for you. (This medicine information comes from the Royal Osteoporosis Society, not from me. Always check with a pharmacist or your family doctor or nurse practitioner before taking any medicine.)

2. Staying Active

It is recommended that you aim to stay as active as possible. This can reduce the risk of chest infections, constipation, blood clots and other side effects, helps you keep your muscle strength, and reduces your chances of ongoing pain after the fracture has healed. Movement does not affect the healing process. If your pain is severe in the early stages, rest for a while (Royal Osteoporosis Society, 2022). Modify your activities according to your own pain level, and avoid lifting anything heavy or anything that puts too much strain on the fractured area. Treat the fracture seriously and carefully.

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor or nurse practitioner

Options outside my scope

Osteoporosis assessment and treatment: after a spinal fracture your doctor may check your bone strength with a DEXA scan and discuss medicines and calcium supplements to help prevent further fractures (AAOS, n.d.; MedlinePlus, 2025). This matters because more than 30% of people with a spinal fracture have another fracture within 1 year (AAOS, n.d.).
Calcitonin: a medicine that is sometimes used to help relieve bone pain (MedlinePlus, 2025).
Back brace: sometimes a brace is worn while the fracture heals (AAOS, n.d.). Research suggests a brace may reduce pain for a few months but does not improve posture or everyday function (Squires et al., 2023), and MedlinePlus (2025) notes that braces may further weaken the bones. A brace should only be used if your medical team advises and fits it.
Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty: procedures in which bone cement is injected into the broken vertebra to stabilise it; in kyphoplasty, a small balloon is first inflated inside the bone to make space. They can be done under a general or a local anaesthetic, are only suitable for some people whose severe pain has not been helped by pain-relieving medicines, and do not strengthen the bones or reduce the risk of breaking another bone (Royal Osteoporosis Society, 2022; AAOS, n.d.).
Other surgery: rarely, other spinal surgery may be needed, for example if the fracture is caused by a tumour (MedlinePlus, 2025).

How I can help (see the My Approach tab)

Gentle hands-on work to ease muscle tension and spasm in your back
A graded exercise programme for strength, posture and balance
Advice on staying active, lifting and everyday movement

Tips

Osteoporosis is the most common cause of compression fractures. Try to look after your bone health with a good, nutritious balanced diet with enough calcium, and regular load-bearing exercise such as walking, which can help you avoid bone loss (MedlinePlus, 2025).
Trauma to the spine can cause minor or severe fractures.
Cancer can weaken the bones to the point where they collapse.
When lifting an item, make sure to lift with your legs and not with your back.
Many people recover well, but some have ongoing pain or stiffness after a crush fracture (Royal Osteoporosis Society, 2022). If this happens to you, ask me or your family doctor or nurse practitioner about ways to manage it.

Treatment

My Approach

A spinal fracture needs time to heal, but staying gently active helps you keep your strength. Your medical team decides what your spine can handle, and I work inside their limits. If the fracture stops you doing your normal daily activities, was treated with surgery or a procedure such as kyphoplasty, or you're having active cancer treatment, I need your team's okay before any hands-on treatment.

Please bring any X-ray or scan reports and notes from your medical team to your first visit. They're an important part of planning safe treatment for you.

While It's Healing

Comfortable positioning with plenty of pillows, and pressure adapted to how fragile your bones may be
Easing the back, neck and shoulder muscles that tighten up to guard the fracture, staying off the broken area
Warm applications in the clinic, plus breathing and relaxation work for pain and spasm
Gentle exercises and walking to keep you moving, as your pain allows

As It Settles

Once the fracture has healed, building strength in your back, hips and legs, with gentle back-strengthening work, sit-to-stands and heel raises
Balance work to help prevent falls, and practising lifting with your legs

I avoid anything that puts force through your bones, such as firm pressure on the spine, springing the ribs or forceful joint work. At home, skip sit-ups, bending forward against resistance and twisting while bending. If you get new numbness or weakness in your legs, or problems with your bladder or bowel, call 911 (see When to Get Urgent Help).

What to Expect

Typical Course

Typical course: Early on, visits are usually shorter, once or twice a week, within your team's plan; then weekly, then less often. A spinal fracture usually takes 6 to 12 weeks to heal and most people feel better within about 3 months, though some have pain for longer.

What I Focus On

Working Within Your Team's Limits

Adapted, Gentle Pressure

Muscle Spasm Relief

Back & Leg Strength

Balance & Safe Lifting

Please read

When to See a Doctor First

When to Get Urgent Help

Call 911 or go to the emergency room at your nearest hospital if you have back pain together with new numbness, tingling or weakness in your legs, difficulty walking, or loss of control of your bladder or bowel. In rare cases these can mean the spinal cord or nerves are being squashed (MedlinePlus, 2025).

Sources

References

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (n.d.) Osteoporosis and spinal fractures. OrthoInfo. Available at: https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/osteoporosis-and-spinal-fractures/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
MedlinePlus (2025) Compression fractures of the back. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000443.htm (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
Royal Osteoporosis Society (2022) Spinal fractures (vertebral fractures). Available at: https://theros.org.uk/information-and-support/living-with-osteoporosis-and-broken-bones/spinal-fractures-vertebral-fractures/ (Accessed: 7 October 2026).
Squires, M., Green, J.H., Patel, R. and Aleem, I. (2023) 'Clinical outcomes after bracing for vertebral compression fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials', Journal of Spine Surgery, 9(2), pp. 139-148. doi: 10.21037/jss-22-78
Ghadiyaram, A. et al. (2024) 'A4 thoracolumbar fracture class is associated with a greater degree of vertebral height loss in conservatively managed patients', Cureus, 16(8), e66402. doi: 10.7759/cureus.66402

Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooVertebral Crush / Compression Fracture

What It Is

Vertebral Crush / Compression Fracture Anatomy

How to Diagnose a Compression Fracture to the Spine

Problems Following a Crush Fracture to the Spine

Self-Care & Treatment

How to Treat Vertebral Crush / Compression Fractures

1. Pain Relief

2. Staying Active

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor or nurse practitioner

Tips

My Approach

While It's Healing

As It Settles

Typical Course

When to See a Doctor First

When to Get Urgent Help

References

Related Conditions

Book a session

Massage therapy · Kitchener–WaterlooVertebral Crush / Compression Fracture

What It Is

Vertebral Crush / Compression Fracture Anatomy

How to Diagnose a Compression Fracture to the Spine

Problems Following a Crush Fracture to the Spine

Self-Care & Treatment

How to Treat Vertebral Crush / Compression Fractures

1. Pain Relief

2. Staying Active

Treatments you may want to discuss with your family doctor or nurse practitioner

Tips

My Approach

While It's Healing

As It Settles

Typical Course

When to See a Doctor First

When to Get Urgent Help

References

Related Conditions

Anterior Wedge Fracture to the Vertebra

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Bone Tumor

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Book a session