Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are common in older adults who have osteoporosis (brittle bones). Treatment is usually conservative (nonoperative). But when pain persists, surgical procedures such as kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty may be advised.

I fractured t8 and t9 and mild injuries in other parts of my spine. Workers Comp is pushing for Rehab but the 2 sessions I've had have made the pain much worse. Its been 6 weeks since injury and the pain has not improved, WCB keeps telling me its a very minor injury and that the pain is normal with rehab, is it possible the rehab could be making the injury worse?

Many thanks for your time.
I had 9 months ago a Microdisectomy T-9 T-10 due to cord compression. Disc was

pushing into my spinal canale.I had a injury/accidet at work.
Most back operation aren't in the thoracic area, mine was, I have recovered , I am 43yrs old. I was told I can
snow ski again by my neurosurgery, have gone back to Jazzercise, low impact/aerobics, but find this makes my scar on
my back hurt. I walk daily,swim. I have had a post op MRI 4 months after my operation,don't have any spinal cord compression,

When the thoracic spine must be stabilized surgically, pedicle screws may be used. The pedicle is a portion of bone just below the facet joints of the spine. The pedicle connects the main body of the vertebra to the bony ring that protects the spinal cord. Using screws to hold the vertebrae in place is called instrumentation.

Kyphoplasty is the injection of a liquid cement into the broken vertebral bone. The cement seeps into the fracture lines and hardens. With a kyphoplasty, the surgeon inserts a deflated balloon inside the vertebral body first before injecting the cement.

All surgical procedures come with their own potential complications. Most of the time, nothing happens and the patient has an uneventful and successful recovery. But in a few people, there can be problems.

Vertebroplasty is an operation in which a special glue is injected into the spinal bone. The goal is to hold the fractured bone together and keep it from breaking apart and compressing even more. Once the glue hardens, the bone is stabilized.

Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are two similar surgical treatments for spinal factures caused by osteoporosis. In both these procedures, cement is injected into the fractured vertebral body. In the case of kyphoplasty, a balloon is inserted into the bone first. The balloon is inflated, removed, and then glue is injected inside the vertebral body.

Myelopathy of the thoracic spine is rare but can be disabling. This condition is more likely to affect the lumbar spine (low back). Sometimes the neck is affected.

There are many changes in the spine that occur with aging. Most affect the lower (lumbar) spine. Some affect the neck (cervical) spine. Much less often, but no less disabling, the thoracic spine is affected. The thoracic spine is in the middle between the cervical and lumbar spines. The ribs attach to the thoracic spine.

A cervical rib is an extra rib. It is attached to the last vertebra in the cervical spine (neck). Normally, the ribs start in the thoracic spine at T1. A cervical rib is considered a congenital anomaly meaning it's an abnormality present at birth.

Cervical ribs attach to the first thoracic rib with a dense band of fibrous tissue. Usually there is only one cervical rib and it's only on one side. Less often, there is a cervical rib on both sides.