The writer missed the important question. Is it old, or new? This can be determined from the radiology report if the radiologist had bothered to note the difference. (They usually would do that, but sometimes, very rarely, they might not)....
A compression fracture can be (well, is usually) caused by a severe impact such as a fall on the tail, or a head-butt. Some sort of 'axial loading' type of trauma.
Sorry, maybe 'TMI'....the rest of me is just sad, numb.
"A compression fracture can be (well, is usually) caused by a severe impact such as a fall on the tail, or a head-butt. Some sort of 'axial loading' type of trauma."
A very common cause of compression fractures is the disease osteoporosis which is a more than frequent result of bulemia and other eating disorders. Further, osteoporosis often results from or is exacerbated by anti-convulsant drugs such as the type Terri Schiavo was given after her collapse.
This disease thins the bones, often to the point that they are too weak to bear normal pressure. The thinning bones can collapse during normal activity, leading to a spinal compression fracture. In fact, spinal compression fractures are the most common type of osteoporotic fractures. The fractures usually heal on their own.
In cases of osteoporosis, actions as simple as bending forward can be enough to cause a "crush fracture", or spinal compression fracture.