Thoracic compression fracture in a basketball player.

Thoracolumbar pain is a frequent complaint of many athletes, but the cause is often difficult to diagnose. Compression fractures of the spine are rarely seen in athletics and are not always recognized as a potential cause of the symptoms. Reported here is a case of a T12 compression fracture in a male basketball player. Pain films revealed the percentage of loss of vertebral body height, thereby determining the stability of the fracture. If treated with a thoracolumbar spinal orthosis brace and activity restrictions, stable compression fractures heal without surgical intervention and athletes can return to activity within a number of months. Athletic trainers and physicians should maintain a level of suspicion for this injury when violent trunk flexion or lateral flexion is the mechanism of injury.