Back Burst Fractures Injury Attorneys

Back Burst Fractures

Burst fractures of spinal vertebra are serious traumatic injuries commonly seen in high-impact traumas, such as high-speed collisions and falls from heights. High energy delivered to the spine might crush a vertebra or burst. In our practice we most often have seen serious burst fractures in clients struck hard from behind by tractor-trailers, as those are crashes involving very high kinetic energy.

In a burst fracture, shards of bone tissue from the vertebra puncture surrounding tissues and in some cases the spinal canal. The seriousness of a burst fracture hinges on the “seriousness of deformity, level of canal compromise, the loss of vertebral body height, and level of neurologic deficit. Generally more significant than compression fractures, herniated discs and many other back injuries, burst fractures commonly cause long-lasting neurological damage.

Because of the possibility of spinal cord damage including possible paralysis, Immediate hospitalization is always needed in cases of a burst fracture. Comprehensive radiological examination, including MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), CT and X-ray. Surgery is needed if the fracture is unstable. In younger patients, surgery may involve one of a number of methods for spinal fusion and stabilization. In older patients, the burst fracture might be stabilized with vertebroplasty, a procedure to stabilize the fractured vertebra with acrylic bone cement, or with cadaver bone tissue.

Treatment without surgery usually involves a full-body, external brace, such as a Thoracic Lumbar Sacral Orthosis (TLSO), commonly custom-molded to fit the patient’s body, which is worn 24/7 for 2 or 3 months. Physical therapy follows this to build up muscle mass and commonly to learn to walk again.

Severe pain usually follows the burst fracture injury and its treatment. Pain management therapy might continue for a long time, including its own potential complications. Over the patient’s life-time, pain, loss of function, diminished appearance and serious neurological deficits might develop.

Call the law offices of Fleming and Nelson today at 706-434-8770 if you have suffered a back burst fracture injury in Evans Georgia.