She was hit in the waist by osteoporosis

Aunt Niu, 62, twisted her waist while getting something at home and it hurt a little. She didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking it would be fine after two days of rest. At first, she could still buy groceries and cook as usual, but the pain got worse and worse, and she even needed help to turn over and get up. She then went to the orthopedic department of Tianjin Hospital for treatment.

After asking the patient's medical history in detail and conducting a physical examination, Director Li suspected that the patient had a lumbar fracture. An imaging examination revealed that the patient had a fracture of the lumbar 4 vertebra.

Aunt Niu was very surprised: I just twisted it slightly, how could it be broken?

Director Li told her: Osteoporosis is a systemic bone disease that often occurs in the elderly, characterized by loss of bone calcium, decreased bone density and bone quality. Under slight or no external force, the spine may suffer from osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF), just like a severely weathered stone that will break with a slight squeeze. And because there are no symptoms in the early stage, it is often quite serious when it is discovered, such as persistent pain or even fractures. It is recommended that patients be hospitalized for minimally invasive surgery.

Aunt Niu followed Director Li's advice and was hospitalized immediately. After completing relevant examinations, she underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty surgery for lumbar vertebral fracture under DSA-guided local anesthesia in the catheterization room. On the third day after the operation, when Aunt Hu got out of bed and moved around, her pain was significantly relieved.

During the hospitalization, symptomatic osteoporosis medication was also administered. Because Aunt Niu was in severe pain, salmon calcitonin was used for treatment. Salmon calcitonin acts on specific receptors in the central pain receptor area, inhibits prostaglandins in local tissues, stimulates the release of endogenous analgesic substances beta-endorphin, and reduces blood calcium concentration; it can directly act on osteoclasts to inhibit their activity, and at the same time act on bone cells to promote bone formation and improve bone structure. It can shorten bone healing time, improve bone quality, and prevent recurrence of fractures.

After systematic treatment, Aunt Niu recovered and was discharged from the hospital. Osteoporosis treatment requires continuous treatment, and Aunt Niu was given a detailed explanation of the use of the relevant treatment drugs to ensure the continuity of treatment and reduce the occurrence of osteoporotic fractures again.

Director Li specially reminded:

- In winter, you should increase your intake of calcium and high-quality protein, such as milk, fish, shrimp and soy products;

--Exercise appropriately and get plenty of sun to prevent the aggravation of osteoporosis;

-Also, pay attention to external injuries during daily activities. If you experience recurring back pain or long-term back pain that does not subside, please seek medical attention immediately.

Recommended Experts

Professor Yang Yang Tianjin Hospital, Hip Joint Department 4, Associate Chief Physician

Member of the Communist Party of China, Doctor of Medicine, Postdoctoral Candidate, Awarded as Tianjin's First Batch of Young Medical Prodigies in 2018

Young member of the Tissue Repair and Regeneration Branch of the Chinese Medical Association

Member of the Bone Disease Professional Committee of China Medical Education Association

Young member of Tianjin Medical Association Orthopedics Branch

Secretary of Tianjin Orthopedic Quality Control Center

Member of the Rehabilitation Engineering Committee of Tianjin Rehabilitation Medicine Association

Member of Tianjin Association of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Young and Middle-aged Work Committee

Published 12 SCI papers and 2 EI papers as the first author, co-first author and corresponding author