I Fell In 2007 And Suffered A Compression Fracture To

Posted on Fri, 28 Dec 2018

Fri, 28 Dec 2018 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : I fell in 2007 and suffered a compression fracture to my back. IT affected L2 and L3 - now they say L1, L2, L3, L4 and L5 are looking rough and I need back surgery. By the way, I use to stand 6 feet not so anymore. I am now 5 ft 8inches. Why has L1,L4 and L5 been effected? Why has it spread??

Answered by Dr. Olgeta Xhufka (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
You may be suffering from osteoporosis.

Detailed Answer:
Hello dear, welcome to Ask a doctor service.
I read your query and here is my advice.

The main causes of compression fractures is osteoporosis, the thinning of bones.
The vertebrae are less dense and then collapse. I think you may be suffering from osteoporosis that has destroyed the bone consistency and this also explain why it spread in several vertebrae.
Of course your height is shortened because five vertebraes are collapsed and lost their normal height dimensions causing a shorter body height.
I think despite the operation of fractured vertebrae you should get tested for bone density because you most probably have osteoporosis and you should treat it to prevent other fractures.

Hope I have answered the question.
Let me know if I can assist you further.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Remy Koshy