Vertebral Osteoporotic Fractures

Vertebral Fractures are caused by trauma to the vertebrae of the spine or by crumbling of the vertebrae resulting from osteoporosis. This causes mostly mechanical back pain, but it may also put pressure on the nerves, creating leg pain.

From Wikipedia - Free Encyclopedia

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a disease of bone in which the bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced, bone microarchitecture is disrupted, and the amount and variety of non-collagenous proteins in bone is altered. Osteoporotic bones are more susceptible to fracture. Osteoporosis is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as either a bone mineral density 2.5 standard deviations below peak bone mass (20-year-old person standard) as measured by DXA, or any fragility fracture. While treatment modalities are becoming available, prevention is still the most important way to reduce fracture. Due to its hormonal component, more women, particularly after menopause, suffer from osteoporosis than men.

Osteoporosis can be thought of as analogous to "sarcopenia", which is the age-related loss of skeletal muscle. The combination of sarcopenia and osteporosis results in the significant frailty often seen in the elderly population