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Using your legs to lift, with your core engaged and the spine neutral a lifting belt can also help.Being aware of your surroundings and avoiding risky surfaces.Using proper safety equipment (helmets, knee and elbow pads, lower back braces, etc.).But there are some common-sense steps you can take to limit your risk of a wedge break in your back. What Can You Do to Prevent a Wedge Fracture of the Spine?Įnthusiasts for many of these sports are well aware that they involve risks to the spine (and other areas of the body) and avoiding them is simply not going to happen. Are involved in certain high-risk sportsĮxtreme Sports and Spinal Wedge Fractures.
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Other lifestyle-related choices can also come into play. Caucasian, Asian, Hispanic/Latino or African American.For instance, your risk goes up if you are/have: Some of the things that put you at risk of a thoracic or lumbar wedge fracture are things that you simply cannot control. Spinal injuries are nothing to mess around with and you should seek immediate medical help if you suspect you’ve damaged the spine, especially if you experience signs of neurological damage like numbness or tingling. While someone with osteoporosis may not even realize they have one or several osteoporotic wedge fractures, the symptoms are much more obvious for those in an athletic or automobile accident-the intense pain is a symptom that’s pretty hard to miss. And while neurological impairment does occur, it is pretty rare. This means that surgery is not a common mode of wedge fracture treatment. In most cases, these are stable fractures, meaning the bone is unlikely to continue to crumble and cause more problems-at least immediately. But for someone with healthy bones, quite a bit more trauma (think a car accident or a fall off a trampoline) paired with a forward bend is needed to cause such fractures.Īnterior wedge compression fractures are most common at the bottom of the thoracic spine, specifically the T11 or T12 vertebrae or at L1 vertebra at the top of the lumbar spine. For someone with osteoporosis, this force might be pretty minimal, like sneezing, getting out of the tub or lifting something heavy. Trauma in one shape or form is to blame for any compression fracture. If you have several of these wedge breaks, your back may begin to curve forward into a hunchback position known as kyphosis. A wedge fracture is a type of compression fracture where part of the vertebrae-usually at the front (anterior) side of the body-fractures and collapses while the back side stays intact, resulting in a wedge-shaped vertebra.
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