Not everyone with a spinal compression fracture experiences the same symptoms. Sometimes patients only experience minimal or mild pain. Most commonly, however, a spinal compression fracture is associated with moderate to severe back pain and difficulty getting out of bed.
Other symptoms include:
- Hunched appearance, called kyphosis or a "dowager’s hump," due to collapsed vertebrae that affect posture
- Loss of height
- Back fatigue, due to excess muscle strain used to hold up the spine
The following symptoms are rarely caused from compression fractures and constitute medical emergencies:
- Leg weakness
- Bladder or bowel incontinence
Fortunately, there are treatments available for spinal compression fractures (see Diagnosing and Treating Spinal Compression Fractures).
Our Care Team
- Hansen-MacDonald Professor of Neurological Surgery
- Director of Spinal Surgery
Phone: 212-746-2152
- Assistant Professor of Radiology in Neurological Surgery (Manhattan and Queens)
Phone: 212-746-2821 (Manhattan) or 718-303-3739 (Queens)
- Associate Professor of Neurological Surgery, Spinal Surgery
- Co-Director, Spinal Deformity and Scoliosis Program
- Chief of Neurological Surgery, NYP Lower Manhattan
Phone: 212-746-2260
- Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery, Spine Surgery
Phone: 718-670-1837 (Queens) / 888-922-2257 (Manhattan)
- Chief of Neurological Surgery, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens
- Co-director, Weill Cornell Medicine CSF Leak Program
Phone: (718) 670-1837
- Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery (Brooklyn and Manhattan)
Phone: 212-746-2821 (Manhattan); 718-780-3070 (Brooklyn)
- Clinical Associate Professor of Neurosurgery
- Attending Neurosurgeon
Phone: 888-922-2257
- Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery
Phone: 646-962-3388
Reviewed by: Srikanth Boddu, MD, MSc
Last reviewed/updated: October 2020