This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Compression fracture

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

A compression or crush fracture occurs when cancellous bone is squashed. It occurs in adults, especially in the lumbar vertebrae, tibial plateaux and calcaneum.

Management is difficult since there are no fragments left to manipulate back into position. Such fractures are usually reduced by external fixation or by opening the fracture, replacing the cortex in its normal position, and packing the cavity created with bone graft.

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page