Back breaker

Many of you probably have a relative or know someone with osteoporosis (abnormally decreased bone density). I had a patient with this the other day who had a very serious complication that I had never heard of before – a broken back. We know that the elderly have an increased risk of breaking their hip from a fall because their bones are more fragile. And it makes sense then that if someone with osteoporosis is involved in a traumatic accident involving the back, that a spinal fracture can result. But this patient was different. What he did was try to lift a heavy household object and as a result, his spinal column shattered. I had never heard of that before, but wanted to post it on the blog because maybe some of you can pass it on to people you know and help prevent a serious injury.