Question
Hi. My 82 year old mother has been diagonsed with a compression fracture of T-11. Her GP has ordered x-rays and an MRI. We were told to make an appointment with a rheumatologist and I am not 100% certain if that is the correct Dr for her to see. My sister insists that she needs to see an orthopedic Dr and that is the question I would like an answer to. Thank you for your assistance.

Answer
Hello Penny. Thank you for your question. Your mother is fortunate to have daughters who care so much about her.  In my experience when elderly people suffer from symptomatic compression fracture of the spine, specifically of the thoraco-lumbar spine there is very little anyone can do other than pain management. I would be curious to know if she suffered a fall which caused the fracture or not. With regard to medical management it's more than likely that surgery will not be an option. Quite probably there will be discussion in ensuring that steps can be made to improve your  mother's bone mineralizations to minimize the possibility of future such episodes as well as pain management. If  I was in your situation I would probably ask the referring GP doctor why he chose a rheumatologist and not an orthopedic doctor. He will likely say that since the orthopedist mostly offer surgery and that likely that surgery is not an option that the rheumatologist will be a logical doctor for managing your mothers situation.  If your mother is not suffering from osteoporosis then she may be a candidate for our specialized care. To learn more go to www.backclinicsofcanada.ca

I always thinking getting a clear response from your family doctor as to the nature of their suggestions helps to educate everyone so as to evaluate if there is a unanimous agreement to the approach.

I hope this is helpful for you.

Would you mind taking a moment out to rate my answer and consider to nominate me as volunteer of the month.

Good luck,
Dr. Ron Nusbaum