A 84 years old woman with a L5 fracture

Dear Ask The Doctor: Dear Doctors: I want to know what can happen when a 84 year woman has a fracture on Lumbar number five and what can be expected from that?

Dear Miriam:Most likely at that advanced age there is osteoporosis, the other factor to consider is if the fracture is displaced or not, and if it is producing compression of the spinal root nerves that may lead to a permanent damage and incapacity. For sure she needs imaging studies (MRI) to determine the outcome of the situation and from there to proceed to determine the right treatment option.