After not being able to lift her saddle onto her horse or sleep without difficulty, Routt County resident Joan Romick is now back to horseback riding, Alpine skiing and lifting weights without pain.

Dr. Keith Roach, M.D. DEAR DR. ROACH: An almost 90-year-old friend has osteoporosis. In January, she collapsed while walking home. Now, five months after having a compression fracture of her vertebra, ...

A vertebral compression fracture (VCF) is a break in an individual bone, or vertebra, of the spine that causes the vertebra to collapse. A lumbar VCF affects the lower spine. When a VCF occurs, the ...

Kyphoplasty is a procedure that treats compression fractures in the spine. It relieves pain at the site, but some people may experience pain even after the procedure. Treating it includes taking ...

A compression fracture occurs to the spine when the vertebral body suffers a crush or wedging injury. The vertebral body is the blocks of bone that make up the spinal column. Each body is separated ...

The type of back surgery you may need depends on what’s causing your back pain. Procedures that treat compression of the spinal cord, such as laminectomy and spinal fusion, are among the most common ...

Medically reviewed by Jennifer Steinhoff, MD Key Takeaways The lumbar spine includes five vertebrae that help with mobility and stability.Lumbar vertebrae are larger because they carry the load from ...