Question
My father had an MRI to evaluate his now chronic back pain which his
FORMER doctor only threw narcs at, and he has a compression fracture in his
upper lumbar spine. There was a precipitating event, lifting a box, that
seemed to set the whole thing off. He's not seen his doc yet post MRI, though
he's been started on Fosamax. I've noticed him with a pronounced curve
forward lately.  He says it hurts to stand up straight. At 78, I'm concerned
that he'll only worsen. Would chiropractic be of any benefit? You mentioned
nutritional tx as well. What do you recommend? His appetite has been off,
he's constipated all the time and he's dropped a lot of weight, which of
course, did not bother his FORMER doctor one bit.

Answer
Dear Zoe,

It sounds like your father is having a tough time.  'Sorry to hear that.  I don't know anything about his past medical history, so I am rather limited in what I can say.  Nevertheless, it is uncommon for a male to have a compression fracture without some underlying problem such as cancerous bone or a blood-metabolic problem that would cause bone loss.  If the MRI was clean for cancer and auto-immune arthritides, then it simply may be that he has bone demineralization secondary to age.  If he still has regional osteoporosis, then many types of higher-force chiropractic joint manipulation techniques would not be appropriate.  There are some lower force methods out there that may be helpful, and trying them likely would be safe and possibly effective, especially if combined with other pain-reducing physiotherapies (ultrasound with electric stimulation combination comes to mind).  He may also find some pain relief with acupuncture and massage therapy.  Lastly, there are various heat creams for massaging at home.   Some are capsaicin based and some are based on methyl salicylate.  I also would recommend that he take a digestive enzyme pill with every meal.  It should contain mixed enzymes and other such items.  His digestive system is not as efficient as a 20 year-old's.  Digestive enzymes are quite commonly found in healthfood areas of stores.  He also should be taking in adequate multi-minerals as well as good sources of protein.  Bone is made also of protein, and not just calcium.  As for calcium, be sure he's not taking it in the form of calcium carbonate.  It is the crudest (and cheapest) form.  Calcium citrate is a better and more easily digestable form.  Microcrystaline Hydroxyapatite is the best, most bioavailable form.   

I hope this was helpful.  

Dr. G