Has anyone ever heard cracking/popping sounds in your spine and did it end up meaning that your bones were breaking or fracturing?

Does anyone know what it means when you hear cracking grading popping in your spine is that a sign that your bones are fractured or broken? I have severe osteoporosis and have kyphosis in my back. So I'm not supposed to lift anything that is more than 4 lb. Last week my fan fell off my chair and I lifted it like a box fan and ever since then I've been having more pain than usual and I've been hearing this like cracking popping grading sound in my whole back and I hear it even when I'm just sitting at rest. I'm fearful that my back is broken or fractured because of my history of three spinal fractures in the past and I know that I have severe osteoporosis. I told both my doctors about it and they did but the problem is they I just seen both of them and they had done an x-ray and neither one of them saw anything but this was before I had the sounds. When I notified the doctor later that I was having the sounds even after I had gotten the X-ray he said you need to tell your back doctor as he is the specialist and when I called him who is very busy his assistant just said oh it's probably just the each week your back and those sounds are probably just air bubbles don't worry about it but let us know if it persists. It's been a week since I lifted the fan and the thing is I'm still having the sounds in my back and I don't know if I should try to get another x-ray or try to ask for an MRI because I'm fearful that this could mean that the bones are breaking or that there's some sort of fracture?

[Fruitandnutcase]

If you can afford to pay for it I imagine an MRI a will give you the answers you need. Must say my first thoughts were likely to be air bubbles in your joints - but an MRI should settle things for you one way or another.

[Hidden in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Okay thanks. I'll try to wait a few more days and if the sounds persist I think I'll call the Dr again and see what they think as he was wanting me to go get a custom made brace from his colleague(different business) and I don't feel comfortable with them making a back brace that's semi permanent if we don't even know if anything is fractured since my visit 2 weeks ago( when he x-rayed it before the injury and before the sounds in my back started).

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Hidden]

Quite right, I wouldn’t want that either. How can you treat something when you don’t know exactly what is causing the problem.

I think an MRI is the way to go though if you really want to know what’s going on in your body and knowing exactly what is going on makes such a difference.

Also if you can get a really good physical therapist who is experienced in working with patients with osteoporosis and kyphosis it might be worth trying that too but you would need to find the right therapist - you don’t want anyone who isn’t really careful with you.

Have you tried any sort of painkillers? You really want to have good pain relief.

Also it’s worth trying to keep moving gently but sensibly - I know that I need to keep moving or my body feels horrendous - just make sure you don’t do anything that causes you pain. Effort and pain are not the same thing.

[Hidden]

I take Tramadol for full body crps/rsd which is a nerve pain condition and it does help some with the back pain but the majority of the back pain know is not helped by the tramadol. I've tried taking things like anti-inflammatories but my stomach is sensitive to those and I really can't take them for long so as far as pain control I don't have any pain control for my back other than the Tramadol. The old back brace that I used to wear over a couple years ago that I wore for like 10 years did help with the pain but he took it away from me a couple years ago due to it rubbing the back of my backbone but now that the curve is getting worse he wants me to get another custom brace made in about a week and so he feels like that will help I guess both try to keep me up right while I'm wearing the brace and he thinks that will help with the pain and I'm hoping it will, but my fear is that it's not going to help keep me upright enough to keep the curve from progressing long term. Do you think that the back brace will be enough to keep the kyphosis curve in my back from getting worse if I'm not able to get the spinal fusion?

I know you're right and that what would make me feel the best is if I could get an MRI but you know how these doctors are about not wanting to prescribe MRIs very often due to insurance issues and I just got an MRI of my wrist like a couple weeks ago and I got an MRI of my back last year for a different thing so I'm not sure if they would approve that or not but I can ask. I would at least feel better if I could just make an appointment with the doctor and have him take an x-ray and tell me what his thoughts are on what's causing the sounds but he's very busy as he is usually only sees people for surgery and he only sees me twice a year so most likely his assistant is just going to say the same thing to me about well just keep seeing how the sounds are doing and what's frustrating is she doesn't even give him the note to tell him to relate to him what the problem is and I feel like if he knew of it he might say oh wait I need to check on that but since he just saw me last week he may not. so I guess I'll just wait a week and then call her and say before I get this brace made I really need to have the doctors input on what is causing these noises. Should I come in for an appointment or would he have me to get this brace made and assume that it's air bubbles?

Also with me not knowing if anything is broken or fractured I don't want to go back to doing back exercises like what I was doing in physical therapy because I don't want to break or fracture anything especially with hearing those sounds. Plus that I am having issues with chronic what seems like chronic tendonitis although it's not showing up on an MRI and so it's some sort of repetitive strain injury and I got that due to using resistance bands that they taught me for trying to strengthen my back so I feel like if I go back to the back exercises I'm hurting my wrists but if I try to give up the back exercises I'm fearful that my back will just continue to get weaker and that that will make the curvature worse of my kyphosis. Again things that only my doctor can answer but like I said he's extremely hard to get into and so I don't know what to do. So until I see him again which isn't until April so I will not be doing any back exercises even though my mind tells me to because like I said when I do it, it just increases the noises and I don't want to break or fracture anything and I also don't want to aggravate the tendonitis thing in my wrists. The back surgeon/doctor has never told me to do back exercises to strengthen my back such as with a physical therapist but the other doctor that treats me for my osteoporosis sees my kyphosis and does tell me to do back exercises so it's frustrating not knowing which one I should listen to but like I said I've got a lot to lose both if I do them or if I don't do them so I have to hold off on that until I find out what the surgeon would say so I guess I'll have to wait till April for that.

[Hidden]

I had that on my back in the shoulder area and my chiropractor said that it means it’s healing in the back shoulder area. Idk if it’s the same in the spine.

P s my daughter worked for a neurosurgeon who suggested two alleve morning and night and gentle yoga for healing of back issues.

[Sunseaandsand]

Hi,

I have had 12 spinal fractures in total and never experienced any popping or cracking sounds.

With all of them I have had excruciating pain and a variety of other symptoms.

It is possible that you have had a fracture if you are in pain after lifting ( for anyone with severe osteoporosis 4Ib is a heavy weight to be lifting)

Is it possible to get a second opinion on your x ray??

When I have been x rayed previously at my local hospital my fractures have been missed many times and they have easily been confirmed at the larger teaching hospital.

For a number of years now I have been able to diagnose my own fractures even before X rays and MRI.

The pain and the areas it travels to let me know if it is in the Lumbar or Thoracic

The pain is your best guide

Take care and I hope you can get something confirmed quickly because the uncertainty can be really lower the mood.

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

Thank you for your advice and help. I am so sorry that you've had so many fractures and pain. I've had 3 spinal fractures already and am just praying I don't get anymore. I'll ask the dr again before I get the new brace. I don't know how much longer to wait to see if the noises go away. I'm always in back pain so I don't know if that feels different or not.

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

How were you able to know that you had a spinal fracture if it was not showing up on x-ray or MRI? I know you say that the pain was your guide but if you're already in pain is it just that it increased like is that how I would know? Also what would they do for a back fracture if you already have a back like mine like what I'm saying is every time that you fractured your back did they have to make you a back brace each time to get it to heal? Or did they just let it heal on its own without putting you in a brace? Because I guess what I'm saying is what if they don't catch that I have a fracture and I don't get a back brace and then would my back ever heal or would things just get worse if I didn't get put in a brace?

[Sunseaandsand in reply to Hidden]

Hi and apologies for not messaging back sooner.

I will answer regarding Back Brace first, to answer your other question will take a little longer and I shall have to go into more detail to enable you to understand clearly.

It was not until my 3rd fracture that I was offered a brace. ( The fracture was in T9 and a large fracture which as a result put me into a wheelchair)

I have since gone on to have a further 9 fractures.

The Brace only needs to be changed under a couple of circumstances.

For instance if you have a fracture in the thoracic and are a given a brace. Then go on to have another fracture in the Lumbar, you will be given a new brace for the Lumbar.

Some braces can be adapted by a connecting piece which will then cover both areas of the spine.

If you have kyphosis as a result of fractures, this can get worse with the more fractures you have and therefore a need to be re assessed for a new brace.

The advice I have received from surgeons and physiotherapists has always been only to wear the brace till the fracture has healed and not when seated.

Wearing a brace weakens the muscles which puts more strain on the bones.

My own opinion of using a brace is that during the early weeks of a fracture they can be very helpful ( they can help with moving about and reduce some of the pain)

However they can be extremely uncomfortable and many people just can not get on with them.

I hope this has answered everything you need to know about braces, this is only my personal experience of using them xx

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

Wow thank you so much that was very helpful. I knew some of that but some of that I didn't know. See first of all let me just say I'm so sorry to hear about all you've gone through and I can relate very much although I'm very thankful that I've only had four fractures and not nine like you and I'm very extremely thankful that I am not in a wheelchair at least not yet. I'm so sorry again to hear about how bad your health is. See the thing is I have had a lot of experience wearing braces as well as I broke my back T10 through T12 due severe seizures grand mal seizures due to sodium imbalance from my drinking too much water due to my anorexia. That was in 2011 so at first I was put in a hard cast brace like the plaster ones they make you and you first get a break and I was put on bed rest where my parents had to actually I had to move back home and they had to take care of me and I had to lay pretty much most hours of the day until the physical therapist would come and get me out and make me walk you know up and down the Halls a little bit and I was able to sit up for meals but then I had to lay right back down and I had to do that for a good 6 months to heal t10-12 while also taking forte to build my bones since my phone density was horrible like worse than it is now.

So then after about 6 months they put me in a less restrictive brace but I had to wear it all waking hours but I was allowed to take it off when I showered and then when I slept but other than that I had to wear it well then they switched me to you a custom-made brace which was way more comfortable and I actually liked wearing it because like you said it reduced the pain and but this was after the fractures that healed but they were doing it just to keep me up right and to give me some pain relief because they didn't want the curve to get any worse and they were hoping that I was going to be able to go forth and get the spinal fusion in a few months or possibly a year from then. However I did gain enough weight to be able to get the surgery but my bones weren't ready yet because you need to take forteo for 2 years and it had only been one year so by the time the second year came around I had relapsed in my recovery from anorexia and I had lost too much weight and they weren't able to do the spinal fusion to fix the curve.

So I have a lot of experience as you can see with both fractures and wearing braces but what happened was I wore the brace like I said from 2011 until about 20/20 and then it started to rub against the back of my backbone so my doctor took it away and I was freaking out but he said it's you know you can do without it it's really not helping you as much as you think it is but what I noticed was when he took it away in the past couple years since then or I'd say the past three years my back has tremendously the curve has gotten tremendously worse since he took it about off so apparently it was doing more than we thought to help keep me up right.

so now that the curve is getting so much worse now the doctor saw me last week and said I'm afraid that in your lifetime you're probably going to have to get the spinal fusion because your back is just it just keeps carving and he said the only thing that I can think of that we can do in the meantime or if you never are able to get the surgery due to your osteoporosis and if you're not able to gain the needed weight due to your anorexia he's like then we need to get you back into a brace and I said what about it rubbing in the back and he said well we'll try to cut out a place in the back to where it doesn't rub anymore so he's going to try to do that and I really don't think I'll ever be able to get the surgery because if I have a problem fearing gaining 5 lbs from anything then I don't think I'm going to be able to gain the needed 60 lb that he wants me to gain to get the spinal fusion surgery. Also that surgery is very very involved and I don't know that my osteoporotic bones would ever be good enough I mean he has me on they just started me on Divinity and he says that they're doing better than they were like a few years ago but they're still not good at all because like I said I've not had periods for over 20 years.

So now with me going through the hot flashes due to my anorexia I'm really worried that the brace a isn't going to be enough to keep me up right and to keep the curvature from going forward like if I'm never able to do the spinal fusion and the second thing I'm worried about is I'm afraid I'm going to be so hot that I'm not going to be able to wear it and this time he's making it almost like the first one where it's going to go in both the front and the back so I'm thinking oh my gosh with all that foam I'm going to be hot all the time cuz I remember when I wore the first one I was hot all the time.

[Sunseaandsand in reply to Hidden]

I am sorry to hear of your situation and you must find it very difficult.

You say that you overcome the Anorexia for a time and I really hope you can put the weight on for the doctors to be able to help you.

You do not give your age or weight or your T Scores but I imagine after years of struggling with Anorexia they are not good.

The one thing that may help is to try to remember your bones can improve with the right care.

Your density has increased in the past which is marvellous and something to really build your hopes on.

These fractures cause so many other problems.

Gastrointestinal and breathing difficulties are just some of them.

Although in a wheelchair I can still move around a little between fractures and even when the fractures are new I do not stay in bed no matter how bad the pain.

It really is important above everything else to keep moving.

My neck is not bent forward, it is from my shoulders, I have lost so much height that now my internal organs are fighting for the space.

It is not easy losing one’s independence because now I have to rely on others to do things for me.

I don’t give in though and many days I feel like giving up but I still fight on and you must do the same.

Get well quickly and be proud of yourself, have the surgery if it is possible and live life to the full.

Take care x

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

Well I'm 39 years old and I have had anorexia since I was 12 so that is over 27 years and I got hospitalized the first time when I was 16 then went to residential treatment when I was 21 and then I've been impatient again three more times over here in Cincinnati Ohio which is where I live in the United States. I have been weight restored a few times from these inpatient stays but not like to my actual good enough weight they just got me to not as dangerous weight I've been lower than I am now I don't want to trigger anyone so I had to make sure that we were in bone health and not the eating disorder for him but I am under 100 lb and I am 5'1 in so I don't know what I am supposed to be? But I do know that I am underweight for my height. Like my BMI is less than 18.5.

So I never actually really recovered except for maybe two times in my life once when I was a about 16 or 17 and was in high school and I was taking several antidepressants to try to manage the anxiety cost from my eating disorder and so part of that was is antidepressants can help you gain weight which is not what I wanted and so am I eating sort of went in the other direction to where almost like I was almost binging and I hate it feeling out of control of my eating like that and so that was when I got to my highest weight ever and I didn't like being at that high of weight which by the way incidentally is the weight that he would want me at or even above that to get the spinal fusion and that terrifies me. Then the other time that I did well with my weight was right after I broke my back in 2011, they said that they were going to need to do the spinal fusion in a couple years after building up my bones with the forteo....so they told me because I was about this late now they said you're going to need to get to a healthy weight or else we'll never be able to do that spinal fusion but at the time they didn't tell me that I would have to get up to like you know 60 lb from where I am now they just acted like you know just get to a healthy weight which would be about 30-35lbs from where I am now. So since I was like I said on bed rest most of the day I just would eat and then lay down and so I wasn't you know getting any exercise even sitting up hardly and so you know obviously you can gain weight easier that way and plus that I was motivated to eat the things I want and everything because I knew that they wanted me to gain the weight to get that surgery and I really wanted to get my back fixed so I did it and within a few months I was able to get to a what I would consider healthy weight for my height although the thing that set me back at that time was they said that I still needed to gain a little bit more for the surgery which come to find out would have been like 20 lb more than that and I already was at way higher than I wanted to be so that freaked me out and like I said I was a year away phone wise and so I didn't want to gain anymore than what I was at and then what made me relapse as well was it seemed like every week I just kept growing out of a new pair of jeans and then a new pair of jeans and then you know I just felt like my weight just kept going up and the size is just kept getting bigger and I was okay with gaining the weight if it would have just plateaued but what bothered me was is that my body wouldn't keep it wouldn't stop gaining weight and I wasn't increasing my calories like at that point I had kind of been eating the same thing for a while you know like trying to maintain so I didn't understand why my body kept gaining and that freaked me out and I thought I don't want to keep going so I started restricting and then when I restricted and lost some weight and I was back to where I was where they were like okay now you're too underweight to get the surgery. And it's been several years since then and so the way I deal with anything is I just keep restricting keep restricting keep restricting and so I've lost a good deal more weight after that.

So when I say I've recovered I mean in times past I've gotten weight restored but every time that I get to a pretty good weight that's when I get freaked out because like I said what always creeps me up is that I don't like the way I'm mad I don't like the size I'm at but the big thing is is when my body keeps gaining and I'm not eating more and I'm just trying to maintain then I get freaked out about worrying that it's not going to plateau and I don't want to go any further and I think just just stop if you would just stop you know I'd be all right but since it does since my weight won't seem to plateau I get scared and then I run the other direction.

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

I'm a little bit confused about how you look in a wheelchair like I get that your neck isn't forward but if you were to look at you sitting up are you able to sit all the way up in the chair or are you pitched forward almost to where like your shoulders and everything is you know closer to your lap than upright? Because I have seen a couple people like that who are in wheelchairs and that is what I asked my surgeon specifically is if that's what he thought would happen if my curve progressed and he said yes that's what I fear what happened because he said that he seen it happen in his practice before and he this is the kind of surgery that he does for people like me all the time except for he's never had a patient he's anorexic but he's had many patients that have had spinal fractures with that ended up in the kyphosis that I have now.

I don't know my t-scores but I know that it's considered like severe osteoporosis and as I said I've had forteo but she can only take that for 2 years so that improved it some and then I maintained it on the on the prolia for a few years but just recently the spine surgeon said you're going to need even more help so my osteoporosis doctor said okay well then we're going to put you on Evenity and I just took my first injection the day before yesterday. So I'm hopeful that that will help my bones to get stronger to hopefully either a be able to get the surgery if I could ever get my mind over the fact and be able to gain the needed 60 lb which is the thing that is scariest for me. Or be let's say I don't get the surgery I still need my bones to be as strong as they can be so that hopefully I won't fracture anymore bones especially with the fact that because of the fact that with the kyphosis I know that puts you know all this pressure on the other bones underneath it and around it.

My biggest fear besides gaining the 60 lb and hating the way that I would have to stay that way in order to both get the surgery and stay that way the rest of my life is I'm terrified that if I am not able to gain the weight and I just try to stay in the brace for the rest of my life without getting the surgery, I'm just scared that that won't be enough to keep me upright and you know walking. I just don't want to ever be in a wheelchair please don't take offense to that and the reason I say that is simply because like you said I would lose all my Independence and especially the thing about if I'm in really severe pain now and it's hard for me to even be on my feet for like longer than a minute I can't imagine how much more horrible pain I would be in if I were in a wheelchair and hunched even more forward. I'm afraid of how painful it would be as basically what I'm saying and of course the fact that you know I would lose even more Independence cuz I don't have a lot as it is anyway with my body being this way and then I'm afraid to because I'm all I have like I don't have anyone to take care of me or anything. My parents are in their eighties and they take care of me now but like they're not going to live too many more years so then I will be living in by myself in my apartment and I don't want to end up like in a nursing home or you know something like that.

Even if I do gain the 60 lb we would still have to see if my bones would be good enough to operate on because like I said his other big concern is he doesn't know if the osteoporiotic bones would be good enough to be able to withstand such a severe surgery with you know all the rods and screws and graphs and bones and all that stuff etc. So it's almost like I want that assurance that yeah my bones are healthy enough and then I feel like okay then I'd be willing to gain the weight but it's like I'm scared to gain the weight if he then tells me you know your bones aren't good enough but then on the other hand I think to myself will you know it's like I wish he could just black and white say if you don't get this surgery you're going to end up like this so we have to do it like then it's like I wouldn't have a choice like it's it's too scary for me right now because I've right now he's kind of giving me an option and it's like if I knew if I had a crystal ball and I knew that you know the brace wasn't going to hold me up then I would say okay I'm going to have to do the work you know go ahead and do the surgery it's just like I need a more definitive advice before I know what to do but at this point he's saying let's do the brace you know to in the meantime and in case the you never get the surgery but he's saying ultimately what would be best is if you could get to you know about 60 lb from where I'm at now and stay there and if your bones were good enough then you know we need to do that final fusion.

So I take it that means that if I were not to get the spinal fusion that that back brace is really not going to be enough to keep me from staying out of a wheelchair.. is that the way that you would perceive that? And is that been your experience that if you don't get the spinal fusion you would end up in a wheelchair like what I was explaining he said could happen?

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

And I'm sorry if you already answered this but are you saying that if I don't get the spinal surgery and the kyphosis just keeps going that then that would make me have more fractures due to the back being unstable like that? And would that be resolved if I were to get the surgery? And I think if I'm interpreting you right I think you're saying that the brace if I don't do the surgery and I just do the brace you're saying that the brace would not be enough to keep me upright and keep me from ending up in a wheelchair and to keep the curve from getting worse- is that correct? Like I said I just don't want to get any more spinal fractures and I definitely don't want to end up in any wheelchair and I don't want that curve to get worse because all of these things scream pain pain to me and I'm already in a ton of severe pain and I don't want any more.

[Sunseaandsand in reply to Hidden]

Hello, the curvature depends on the shape that the vertebrae ends up as once it has fractured.

For example if it ends up wedge shaped where the smaller part of the wedge is at the front this adds to curvature.

These fractures usually occur when bending forward although not in all cases, a number of my fractures are not wedge shaped otherwise I think I would be bent over double.

Wearing a brace will help pain but weaken the muscles and as this will put more pressure on the spine you would not want this to happen.

I when in my wheelchair have to have it slightly reclined as my ribs rub on my pelvis.

When standing I am of course hunched over.

You are doing the right thing with taking the treatment Evenity which gives excellent results at building bone.

It is a good sign that you have gone quite some time since your previous fractures, this shows your treatments are working well for you.

Worry and stress is not good for the body, if you can not gain the amount of weight that would be required to have surgery, do the best you can.

Make sure you take all the supplements that are good for the bones and what you do eat try to make sure it contains all the things that will help the bones.

Try to eat as much protein as you can as this will really help.

If you are lucky enough to have sunshine get out in it as much as possible. xx

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

Again I'm so sorry to hear about how you are as I feel so bad for you as well. Thank you for your advice and knowledge and information. I will take them to heart. I am so hoping that the Evenity will really help my bones and my Osteoporosis. Yeah unfortunately I think that is what is made my curve worse is that I do have wedge-shaped fractures and so therefore all three of them are wedge shaped- T10 - T12 and so that probably is putting more pressure on the curve. Unfortunately I will have to wear the brace for at least sometime because whether or not I get the surgery. The option is either wear the brace until I get the surgery or wear the brace for the rest of my life which the latter is the more likely because I don't think I'll ever be able to get the surgery. So if I have to do this-wear the brace, I just hope that I don't get the curve doesn't get any worse and I hope I don't become more hunched over and I hope that I don't break anymore bones. I guess none of us know what will happen though but I hope the doctor ends up being wrong in his prediction of me progressing with the curve if I don't get the surgery. I'm still really suffering with these hot flashes so I am hoping that I'll be able to tolerate being in a brace all the time for the rest of my life.

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

I said do they give you anything to help with your pain in your back as I assume it must be very severe? And whenever you get a new fracture what do they do? Like do they put you in a new brace or any brace and maybe make you lay down for a few weeks to get it to heal or what? I assume they do something and don't just do nothing about it?

[Sunseaandsand in reply to Hidden]

Hello when the fractures occur and whilst they are healing I am prescribed low doses of oramorph and Diazapam.

The Diazapam is to help with the muscle spasms but unfortunately neither of the medications do much to help in the first 6weeks.

I can only have low doses because my body weight is low and high doses would knock me out and just sleep me.

Between the fractures I have to manage the pain best I can because if I continue with the same dosage then I would become tolerant of the meds and they would not work for me when the fractures occur.

I do not wear a brace and try to avoid it as much as possible because I find them so uncomfortable and yes I do find them hot.

I do think they are very different to the braces you have been given because I have never been given anything with foam in.

The ones I have been given have metal stays in, and I suppose you can imagine that now I can not bear to have something like that on me.

I have never with any of my fractures had any kind of hospital care, in fact I have been sent home after being misdiagnosed when having two new fractures in my spine only to be told it was wear and tear!!!

The consultant at the A&E told me he could see the fractures but the Radiologist insisted it was only wear and tear.

I have sat in two different doctors offices on two different years and different doctors telling me my problems were muscle related.

You ask me how I know I have fractures before even having x rays or mri.

The fractures affect me in so many ways.

Depending on where they are different parts of my body are affected. This tells me if the fracture is in my Thoracic or Lumbar

The pain is a pain you just never forget and fills you with fear of when the next fracture will be.

I have never been offered any kind of surgery being told it is too much of a risk to my other vertebrae.

It is definition late for me now to have any surgery done.

The consultants have never been able to give an explanation as to why I lose bone so quickly just saying some people are just like that.

I have been on every treatment going, and sadly for me they have not increased my density, they have all given me terrible side effects but that never stopped me trying

My advice to people who read about all the bad side effects and decide not to take them has always been Try them yourself because they help so many people and do not cause side effects for everyone.

How many people I wonder who have serious heart problems or Cancer refuse to take the treatments because of what they have read about bad side effects.

There’s a thought.

I hope this has answered all your questions and the future is kind to you. xx

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

Thank you so much for your information and again I'm so sorry for all you're going through. I hope that you get pain relief as well as I hope that I get pain relief and I wish only the best for you.

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

See you talking about being in a wheelchair is what worries me as the spinal doctor said that if my curve continues to get worse and if I don't get the spinal fusion then he said that I very well could end up in a wheelchair with my back permanently pitched forward and worse than it is now to where I could even have organ damage and possibly you know more nerve problems and so he's like you don't want to be like that is he's like you would be in so much more pain than you're already in and he's like you really really we need to either put you in a brace to hopefully keep you up right but he's like even that may not be enough and so he said you know you really need to get this final fusion if we can get your bones strong enough and you would obviously have to gain you know the 60 pounds. And that terrifies me as I don't want to have to do that but like I said I am terrified of ending up like he said in a wheelchair. he's not predicting that ever me but he's saying if the curve keeps getting worse then that's what could happen and I just pray that that doesn't happen to me. So if you're in a wheelchair and you've had all those fractures is that like how you are where you're not upright but like your head is basically in your lap?

[Hidden in reply to Sunseaandsand]

Also I have lost 3 in in height due to fracturing T10-T12. So how many inches of height have you lost? Also do you still have to wear a brace now? Sorry if you already answered it but I missed it. Does it make you hot all the time? Also is the reason that you keep getting more fractures because of the fact that you never got the surgery to fix the fractures and resulting kyphosis?

[josephinius1]

Gosh this is an interesting thread. If you have severe osteoporosis, you're not supposed to lift over 4 pounds? No one has ever said that to me, and I have fractures. I'm starting to have kyphosis (which hurts like the dickens--or, the place where I have fractures does, anyway--when I hold my arms out in front of me for longer than a couple minutes, which I do all the time because I do hair,) and I feel like a brace would help with the pain but the doctor I asked (physiatrist) said no--you need to use those muscles. I asked if my job caused or exacerbates the fractures but he doesn't want to commit so I just keep doing it.

I do know my back rarely cracks or pops though. I did see a chiropractor a couple of years ago, before I knew I had osteoporosis, and he cracked me good. Now I know that was probably a bad idea but I suffered no ill effects from it. Even lifting (I've been doing careful exercises with 10 pound weights,) isn't problematic. It's twisting, for me. And apparently, running.

[Sunseaandsand in reply to josephinius1]

Hi, with severe osteoporosis and spinal fractures lifting anything heavy is asking for trouble.

If you are lifting 10 lb weights and have severe osteoporosis I would say you are putting yourself at risk of more fractures

I would say if you are doing people’s hair you are not putting yourself in any danger of more fractures as long as you are not bending , twisting or reaching.

Do you take anything to help manage your pain and are you in a position where you could perhaps work less hours. If your fractures are higher in the thoracic and you are having to have your arms in front of you for any length of time that will increase your pain.

It is really good though that you are pushing on with your work as a hairdresser.

Please take care and do everything you can that is safe to strengthen your bones x

[Hidden]

Yes you should never lift anything more than 5 lbs is the limit my back Dr told me after I fractured my back 12 years ago due to severe osteoporosis.