ABSTRACT
Introduction: The leading cause of low back pain in our country like India in children and in adolescent has been found to be lumbar spondylolysis. This affects approximately 6-8% of adults in the general population which includes a large number of asymptomatic cases. The main cause in this disease is found to be that of fatigue features which are found in 10% of young adults during heavy labor work, sports, and athletic activities. Case Report: A 25-year-old, left hand dominant, cricket player was referred to Dr. DY Patil Hospital and Research Centre, Pimpri, Pune with complaint of low back pain while playing cricket with no neurological symptoms. His symptoms started 6 months back to this visit and have worsened despite conservative treatment with medications and rehabilitation. No obvious line was seen on the X-rays, but a right non-isthmic spondylolysis was noted at L5 on computed tomography scan. Based on our imaging findings and clinical examination, we made a diagnosis of non-isthmic spondylolysis. As the patient desired an early return to activity, we did not aim for bone union and provided pain relieving treatment which included temporary wearing of soft brace. As a result his pain improved. Conclusion: In our case, the fracture type is more coronally oriented compared with a fracture line in typical spondylolysis. Furthermore, lifting weights transmit a force from the upper limb to lower limbs, it is likely that high loading causes this type of fracture. From a view of biomechanics, reducing extension loading should be an effective means in the treatment of this type of fracture.
ABSTRACT
Introduction It is critical to identify asymptomatic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) as soon as possible in order to avoid subsequent fragility fractures. The purpose of the study was to see how many vertebral compression fractures there were in patients admitted to the COVID-19 pneumonia unit in a single tertiary care hospital who underwent chest computed tomography (CT) scans. Materials and methods Sagittal reconstruction of the thoracic spine was done in around 504 patients and classified into mild, moderate, and severe categories, and we compared it with the radiological reports of the same. Results In our study, the median age was 53 years (range: 31-91 years); 63% were men and 37% were women. Of the 504 patients, 76 (15%) had at least one vertebral compression fracture (VCF); 53 (10.2%) had one VCF, and 23 (4.8%) had multiple VCF, with 50 having mild fractures, 15 having moderate fractures, and 11 having severe fractures. Males (13.87%) and females (14.72%) had the same proportion of VCF (p = 0.83). Only 10% of the patients with VCFs we identified had a description in their report (eight patients). Conclusion The reporting of VCF is insufficient. VCF detection should be included in the search patterns of radiologists and physicians, regardless of the primary reason for performing chest CT. Although many patients are unable to come to the hospital during pandemic/epidemic, careful evaluation and inclusion of mild fractures in reports, as well as an explanation of the risk of subsequent fractures and treatment accordingly, would completely eliminate the risk of subsequent fractures.
