Two Reasons Your Doctor May Suggest Surgery To Fix An Osteoporotic Fracture
Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are a fairly common back injury for people who have osteoporosis, accounting for over 700,000 new cases each year. Healthcare providers generally prefer to use non-surgical options to treat the condition—such as medication and physical therapy—but there are two times when your doctor may recommend surgery to fix the issue.
You're Suffering from Nerve Damage
The top reason your doctor may refer you to a back surgeon for treatment is that the osteoporotic fracture is causing nerve damage, creating bigger problems. While the bones in the spine are partially responsible for helping you to maintain your posture, their primary purpose is to protect your spinal cord, which connects your brain to the rest of your body. When one or more of the vertebral bones fracture, it can throw your spine out of alignment and cause other bones to put undue pressure on the spinal cord and/or other nerves in the area.
Over time, this continuous pressure can lead to permanent nerve damage, and you may develop paresis in the lower limbs, saddle anesthesia, or bowel and bladder problems because the brain slowly loses its ability to communicate with your lower body. To prevent further damage from occurring, your doctor may recommend having the fractured bones fused to prevent further deterioration and increase bone support. Although nerve damage cannot be reversed, removing the source of the problem may make other beneficial therapies to fix the side effects of neurologic disorders more effectively.
No Other Therapies are Working
Another reason your doctor may recommend surgery is as a last resort. As mentioned previously, healthcare providers prefer to use non-surgical means to correct the fracture and prevent further damage. For instance, your doctor may prescribe occupational therapy to help you learn different ways of moving and sitting that will alleviate your symptoms and slow the degradation of the affected bones.
However, every person's body and circumstances are different, and sometimes none of the non-surgical remedies work (or don't work well) due to the patient's unique physiology of lifestyle. For instance, the patient may have comorbid conditions (e.g. diabetes or an autoimmune disorder) that reduce the effectiveness of the treatments or speed up the damage caused by the fracture. In these cases, the doctor will recommend surgery as a means to keep the damage to a minimum.
Although spinal surgery can be effective, there are some risks associated with this treatment. It's essential you discuss the pros and cons with your healthcare provider to ensure you're fully informed before having the procedure done. For more information about this or other osteoporotic fracture treatments, contact a doctor, such as those at Radius.
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