What it is
Spinal trauma spans a wide range: compression fractures from a fall or from osteoporotic bone, burst fractures, and injuries involving the stabilizing ligaments. The central questions are always the same — is the injury stable, and are the nerves or spinal cord at risk? The answers, from examination and imaging, determine everything that follows. Dr. Pompliano's expertise includes spinal trauma, and his published research includes work on imaging interpretation in thoracolumbar fractures.
Common symptoms
- Sudden, severe back or neck pain after a fall, accident, or lifting injury
- Pain with any movement or position change
- In older adults: sudden pain after minor trauma may signal an osteoporotic compression fracture
- Numbness, weakness, or bowel/bladder changes after injury — emergency evaluation, immediately
Why it happens
High-energy trauma (vehicle collisions, falls from height) can injure any spine; low-energy fractures usually reflect weakened bone. Many spinal fractures are stable and heal without surgery — bracing, pain control, and monitored healing are the mainstay for those.
How Dr. Pompliano evaluates it
Every evaluation starts with listening — a detailed history of your symptoms, how they behave, and how they limit your life — followed by a focused physical and neurological examination and a careful review of your imaging. The diagnosis drives the plan, not the other way around.
Treatment: conservative first
Most patients with this condition improve without surgery. Depending on your specific situation, a plan may include:
- Bracing & monitored healing: the standard for most stable fractures, with scheduled imaging to confirm healing
- Pain management: structured and time-limited
- Bone health evaluation: after any low-energy fracture — treating the osteoporosis prevents the next one
- Progressive rehabilitation: restoring strength and confidence as the fracture heals
Surgery is recommended only when symptoms persist despite a genuine course of conservative care, or when there are signs of progressive nerve or spinal cord compromise.
When surgery makes sense
Surgery is reserved for unstable injuries, progressive collapse or deformity, neurological compromise, or fracture pain that defeats conservative care. Options range from kyphoplasty for painful compression fractures to stabilization and reconstruction for unstable patterns.
Related procedures: Kyphoplasty · Spinal Reconstruction · Workers' Comp & Personal Injury