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compression fracture

compression fracture

1 6.8
A broken bone that is pushed together and becomes shorter, often in the spine
  • noun
  • /kəmˈprɛʃən ˈfræktʃər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fractura por compresión
  • After falling off the ladder, he was diagnosed with a compression fracture in his lower back.
  • vertebral compression fracture
  • compression fracture in the back

And then they found osteoporosis, full osteoporosis, and the person sustained A compression fracture in his spine, causing permanent disability.

Examples

  • And then they found osteoporosis, full osteoporosis, and the person sustained A compression fracture in his spine, causing permanent disability.

  • Photo (color): Figure 2. Arthroscopic view of a Hill-Sachs compression fracture of the posterolateral aspect of the humeral head.

    Academic text (2003)
  • These osteoporotic compression fractures are common and can also cause people to end up being more bent forward.

    Academic text (2015)
  • And the person sustained A compression fracture in his spine causing permanent disability.

  • As trabecular bone in the spine becomes more porous, compression fractures occur.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The airbag helped her escape with only a concussion, a compression fracture in her lumbar spine, and a few other broken bones.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Forty percent of subjects who experienced excessive height loss had documented vertebral compression fractures (Hunt, 1996).

    Academic text (2004)
  • Cancellous bone has a porous structure and is more easily injured by compression forces or crushing injuries, causing a compression fracture.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Examination of her skeleton revealed a possible cancerous lesion in her skull, along with a compression fracture of her spine and a healed fracture of her arm.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The most common lesions were labral tears (see Figure 1), Hill-Sachs compression fractures (see Figure 2), and glenohumeral ligament insufficiency.

    Academic text (2003)

Synonyms

fracture
vscompression fracture
364 4.1

A break in something hard like a bone or rock

involves collapse of a bone, often affecting short vertebrae rather than a simple crack

How Severe

compression fracture
  • Specialized
1 6.8
whiplash
  • Specialized
11 6.1
strain
22 4.2
stiffneck
5.6

Surface Forms

Morphology

compression + fracture

The meaning 'a bone break caused by compressive force or collapse' is directly derivable from combining 'compression' (applying pressure) with 'fracture' (a break); the compound literally describes a break due to compression. This is a standard noun-noun medical construction common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the meaning.

Etymology

Compression fracture comes from the simple picture of a bone being squeezed until it breaks. The word compression means strong squeezing and fracture means a break, so the phrase describes a bone that has been crushed or pushed down, often in the 'spine'.