The spine is made up of bones called vertebrae. Vertebrae can break just like any other bone in the body. If a person takes a very hard fall or suffers from osteoporosis these vertebrae can collapse resulting in a compression fracture which occurs most commonly in the thoracic region of the spine.
Symptoms of a compression fracture are back pain, as well as leg pain. If enough compression fractures occur your spine may give the appearance of a hunchback. If the pain is severe and the compression fracture is problematic, vertebroplasty can be done. The height of the vertebrae can be restored by injecting cement into the vertebral body to expand and or prevent further collapse of the vertebra.
This image on the left is an example of vertebroplasty. The dark area in the middle of the vertebral body is the cement used to fill and expand the collapsed vertebra. It is injected under fluoroscopy and viewed in near real time so the Dr can see what and where they are to complete the procedure.
The CT image on the left hear shows a clear break in the vertebrae indicated by the yellow arrow, and a mild compression shown by the red arrow.
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