The treatment of stable inflectional vertebral compress fracture of thoracolumbar spine with sandbag pillow and exercise

doi:10.3321/j.issn:1673-8225.2004.20.008

Abstract：AIM: To treat the stable inflectional vertebral compress fracture of thoracolumbar with sandbag pillow and back extensor exercise .METHODS: After traumatism , the sandbag pillow of four specification from low to high were underlay to the thoracolumbar respectively every other 3 to 5 days, kept excessive extend posture for 8 to 10 weeks. When the sandbag pillow was underlain for 3 hours, trundle the body for sleeping in left or right posture for half an hour. Exercise started after the sandbag pillow were underlay for 1 or 2 days. Supine exercise techniques included 5points shoring and 3 points shoring. The former was 3 times per day, 30minutes to 1 hour once, more than 100 times per day and increased to 2minutes and 5 to 10 times per day gradually. Three weeks later, the latter group started after vertebral compress fracture 4 weeks, pronate exercise started.RESULTS: According to Dennis assess: of the 74 follow-up patients, 4remained low-grade pain on back and waist, 1 remained mid-grade pain, 1remained continued pain and gone with the complications of low limbs anaesthesia and urine incontinence. The rest were cured. Cobb angles decreased 5°- 35° (mean 17°) compared to original by X-ray examination in reexamination.CONCLUSION: This conventional therapy is easy to learn and popularize to treat compression fracture, and attained therapeutic success.