Low back pain is the most common symptom of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in the elderly, accounting for 70%-80% of patients with pain. The pain is severe and often spreads along the spine to both sides, decreasing in supine or sitting position and increasing when posterior extension is erected. The pain decreases during the day and increases at night and in the morning when waking up, and also increases when bending, coughing and straining to stool. Patients are often associated with shortened length and hunchback, mostly after pain. This disease can be screened early and diagnosed in time. This issue of TCM Health features Dr. Zhao Jufeng, Deputy Chief Physician of Shanxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, on how elderly people should diagnose and treat low back pain. Age-related osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures are often overlooked Age-related osteoporosis is a skeletal disease characterized by reduced bone mass and decreased bone quality, manifested by increased brittleness of bone and a greatly increased risk of fracture, which can easily occur even with minor trauma or in the absence of trauma. The onset of the disease is insidious. Many people think that this is caused by external factors such as improper force, but in fact, before the fracture, the bone mass of the spine has been gradually lost, the internal bone trabeculae of the vertebral body thinning, fracture, hole fracture increased, the loose vertebral body is like a beam hollowed out by white ants, can not withstand the wind and rain, the slightest external force, such as in the moment of lifting something or bending down to hold a child, the vertebral body collapsed fracture at once. Many patients are often unaware of the disease, in the disease do not know the disease. Therefore, they do not go for examination and treatment, and even fail to think about osteoporosis when they have broken their bones several times and cannot take care of themselves in daily life. With the advent of the aging society, the trend of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in the elderly is significantly increasing. Approximately 70,000 cases occur each year in the United States, and 20% of patients suffer secondary fractures elsewhere within a year, with 1/3 of these patients suffering from a combination of pain, retrognathism, functional impairment, and other sequelae. There are no accurate reports in China, but according to reports, the incidence of vertebral fractures in Beijing is 15% over the age of 50 and increases to 36.6% over the age of 80. Vertebral fractures can reduce the quality of life and life expectancy of patients. Multiple thoracic fractures can lead to lung diseases, and lumbar fractures can trigger constipation, abdominal distension, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite. As the quality of life decreases, it can also trigger psychological disorders, including depression, fear, irritability, and interpersonal tension. The disorder has serious harmful effects, and if the onset of the disease is not detected, diagnosed and properly treated in time, a domino effect often occurs, bringing great suffering to patients and families. There are misconceptions in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in the elderly There are two basic methods for the diagnosis of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in the elderly. One is to perform a frontal and lateral X-ray examination of the spine, which shows the collapse of the anterior edge of the vertebral body in the form of wedge-shaped changes and the increase of bone translucency and the decrease or disappearance of bone trabeculae, like a paper shell performance; one is to perform bone density examination to understand the bone quality and the degree of osteoporosis. Early screening, timely diagnosis, clinical is not difficult. At present, there are many misconceptions about the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in the elderly, and it is a big mistake to think that such fractures can be cured by just “lying down and eating calcium tablets”. In fact, its treatment should be scientific. In addition, some doctors take conservative treatment, such as bed rest, oral pain medication and wearing orthopedic brace, which has great defects. Due to prolonged bed rest, complications such as decubitus ulcers and urinary tract infections are prone to occur, which seriously threaten the lives of elderly patients. More importantly, due to the long-term lack of effective exercise, osteoporosis will be further aggravated, which in turn is prone to re-fracture, forming a vicious circle and aggravating pain. Other conservative treatments, such as hormone therapy, calcium supplementation, and application of calcitonin, have certain long-term effects, but the short-term analgesic effect is poor and the quality of life is low. In contrast, traditional open surgery is not tolerated by many elderly patients due to the high surgical trauma, and because of the characteristics of osteoporosis itself, the internal fixation is highly susceptible to loosening, which can lead to surgical failure. PKP minimally invasive surgery is the ideal treatment method Percutaneous puncture balloon dilatation kyphoplasty (i.e.: PKP minimally invasive surgery) is one of the ideal surgical methods to solve this clinical problem. It is a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure with minimal complications, in which a balloon dilator is inserted through a small skin incision of about 0.5 cm in the patient’s back and the dilator expands within the vertebral body to create a cavity, followed by injection of bone cement into the cavity to restore the height and strength of the vertebral body, thereby relieving or eliminating pain. The patient was able to move around on the ground 1 day after the operation, which significantly improved the quality of life of the patient. The promotion of this technology will bring good news to many elderly patients who suffer from pain! Minimally invasive surgery is the ideal treatment for osteoporosis, but it is important not to neglect the other side, namely the regular anti-osteoporosis medication, including calcium and vitamin D supplementation, application of calcitonin and phosphorus. calcitonin, phosphorus preparations, etc. The combination of the two complements each other!