Adult Lumbar Vertebral Fracture Incidence, Etiologies, and Demographics (2010-2018): An Investigation of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System
Lumbar vertebral fractures are debilitating injuries that are widely associated with significant patient deformity, disability, pain, and neurological deficit (Rajasekaran et al., 2015). In addition to the debilitating clinical impact, vertebral fractures and the low back pain they cause are associated with major economic burden as well. Based on average loss of work productivity, one study estimated that the total cost of low back pain to the United States economy totaled $33 to $66 billion from 1993-2003 (Joish & Brixner, 2004). Although there has been significant investigation into the most common etiologies of cervical fractures (Lomoschitz et al., 2002), there is a paucity of peer-reviewed publications that detail the etiologies of lumbar spine fractures. Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate the most frequent annual etiologies, incidence rates, and the target demographics of lumbar vertebral fractures in the United States.
Comments
Thanks for describing this …
Thanks for describing this "straightforward and reproducible" methodology, Thriaksh. Questions: Was there a reason why, prior to your study, there was only a focus on cervical fractures and not lumbar spine? Also, can you explain in more detail what is meant by "floor" as a mechanism of injury? Especially in reference to how doctors might stress caution to their patients in this regard.
Re: Thanks for describing this
Thank you for taking the time to read my research! Yes, Lomoschitz et al. (2002) explained that in the orthopedic surgery community there has been an increasing focus on cervical fractures. Neifert et al. (2019) explains that this is the result of higher volumes of cervical surgery, which are likely driven by poor posture, increased recreational neck injuries, and general fragility of the cervical spine.
We stratified lumbar vertebral fractures by NEISS injury codes. Injuries that corresponded to code 1847 were designated as floor-induced fractures. In the narrative text field, we saw that patients slipped, tripped, or skidded from flooring. The research in final touches on how early intervention of poor flooring (and more generally housing ie. stairs, steps, ladders) may prevent these debilitating, costly injuries and how early identification of these etiologies may improve outcomes in the hospital.