Each vertebra contains a large front portion called the vertebral body and a ring of bone behind it that surrounds the spinal canal.
The vertebral body carries most of the weight placed on the spine.
Please review the Lumbosacral spine anatomy section for more information.
When the bone becomes weakened, fractured, infected, or replaced by tumor, it may lose height or collapse.
Major Diagnosis Types
Below are the major types we see in our clinic. Click on available links to learn about our approach to the problems.
Fractures
Major types include compression, burst and flexion / distraction fractures.
Associated with trauma, sometimes only minor trauma if soft bone.
May be incidental, benefit from bracing, or require surgery depending on type, severity, and neurologic condition
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a condition in which bones become weaker and more likely to fracture.
The vertebrae are particularly vulnerable because they support the weight of the upper body.
Many patients do not know they have osteoporosis until a fracture occurs.
Spine tumors
Abnormal growths in the vertebral body that may be benign or cancerous.
Can cause pain or neurologic symptoms / deficits of if causing nerve root or spinal cord compression.
Treatment is varied depending on a variety of factors, surgery can be strongly indicated in some cases.
Minor Diagnosis Types
These terms are often encountered, but are either less often treated or described within one of the above diagnoses.
Benign Vertebral Tumors
Benign tumors are noncancerous growths involving the vertebrae.
Examples include:
- Vertebral hemangioma
- Osteoid osteoma
- Osteoblastoma
- Giant cell tumor
- Aneurysmal bone cyst
Some benign tumors require only observation. Others may cause pain, weaken the bone, or compress nearby nerves.
Metastatic Spine Tumors
Metastatic spine tumors occur when cancer spreads to the spine from another part of the body.
Common sources include cancers of the:
- Breast
- Prostate
- Lung
- Kidney
- Thyroid
- Gastrointestinal system
Metastatic tumors may weaken the vertebral body, cause fracture, compress the nerves, or lead to spinal instability.
Primary Spine Tumors
Primary spine tumors begin within the bones or tissues of the spine.
Examples include:
- Chordoma
- Chondrosarcoma
- Osteosarcoma
- Ewing sarcoma
- Plasmacytoma
Primary spinal tumors are uncommon and often require treatment by a multidisciplinary team.
Vertebral Osteonecrosis
Vertebral osteonecrosis occurs when part of a vertebral body loses its blood supply and fails to heal normally after a fracture.
This may result in progressive collapse, persistent pain, and a cleft or cavity within the vertebral body.
When this condition occurs after an osteoporotic compression fracture, it is sometimes called Kümmell disease.