Question
My 16 yo son has moderate anterior wedging at L2.  MRI and x-ray show a compression fracture without edema and no complications at all.  The injury is probably at least 10 weeks old.  We took him for chiropractic treatment for upperbody pain and the DC is now also working around the site of the injury.  There is no more pain.  What is the liklihood that it will heal completely?  How long will that take?  Can the vertebrae remodel to its normal height?  Is there something else I should do beside chiropractic?

Answer
At 10 weeks the bone is healed.  The bone will not change shape, but the fracture line may remodel a bit internally within the bone.  The soft tissues around the bone fracture may still be congested or irritated and will remodel a bit over several months.  The chiropractor can check this out and provide manual soft tissue therapy and manipulation safely to this region to reduce any scar tissue or adhesion formation.  If the pain and soft tissue tenderness is gone in the surrounding compression fracture zone, then likely there's nothing more to be done.  Your son should go back to his activities.  

'Hope this was helpful,

Dr. G