I got bucked off my youngster last weekend where I slammed into the arena wall. Among assorted bruises I have a compressed fracture of the T -8 vertebrae. It doesn’t hurt too badly and I can still get around, go to work, etc. and am taking advil for the pain. What else should I be doing to speed healing along and what kind of care should I take? I know not to ride or lift anything too heavy but what else?
Thanks for any advice.
I had a compression fracture of L2 a year ago. I went to physio and used a back on track back brace. I was good as new in about 3 months.
All the best. Hope you heal quickly.
What does your Dr say?
He didn’t say anything about aftercare just that I need to go for a follow up with my primary care physician.
DH got a compressed fracture of T-12 on July 4th. Non-horse related. Backed his lawn tractor off a 12 foot embankment. Anyhow, he is 78 and healed up great in 10 weeks. It was extremely painful at first. He wore a clamshell removable brace, which our 5 year old grandson called his Ninja Turtle Shell. He was warned by the neurologist that failure to follow his aftercare instructions to the letter could mean surgery, and his exact words were “I’m a good surgeon but none of my patients have ever said they enjoyed their time on my operating table.” Hubby got the point. He did not lift anything over 5 pounds until he was pronounced completely cured and then he had about three weeks of PT to make sure his muscles were all working as they should.
Sorry about your accident. Please follow Dr. instructions and don’t “test” to see if you can cheat even just a little.
He didn’t say anything about aftercare just that I need to go for a follow up with my primary care physician.
that’s a little… terrifying. was the initial doctor an orthopedist or spine specialist?
[QUOTE=charismaryllis;7961000]
that’s a little… terrifying. was the initial doctor an orthopedist or spine specialist?[/QUOTE]
My thought as well. Additionally, IMO in this day and age, one must be an active participant in one’s own healthcare. Ask questions, etc. Do not assume the Dr will tell you everything. You may need to ask (and ask and ask…)
Sounds to me like you need a different ortho doctor.
I had a similar injury years ago after being launched off a young horse.
Said launching resulted in compression fractures of 3 T vertrabrae. Can’t remember now which 3…Hurt like heck for a few days and the drugs that were prescribed knocked me out. But, for once, I decided to listen to the Dr. and do exactly what he told me to do which was don’t lift anything more than 5 lbs, don’t bend over, don’t drive (I DID cheat a bit on that one) don’t ride for 6 weeks. Honestly, it was one of the most difficult things I ever did (thank heavens for wine - after the heavy duty drugs, of course) but these many years later my back is fine and I’ve never had any problems since. My advice, for what it’s worth, is to do exactly what your primary care doc tells you to do. Even if you feel great don’t push it. A few weeks of inactivity versus a lifetime of back issues should be an easy decision! Best of luck and heal quickly.
