Comparison of the Characteristics of Back Pain in Women with Postmenopausal Osteoporosis with and without Vertebral Compression Fracture: A Retrospective Study at a Single Osteoporosis Center in Poland

BACKGROUND The incidence of unspecific back pain and osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures increases significantly with age. Considering the difficulties in the diagnosis of spontaneous osteoporotic vertebral fractures, this retrospective study aimed to compare the characteristics of back pain in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis with and without vertebral compression fractures. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study enrolled 334 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis; 150 had vertebral fractures, and 184 had no vertebral fractures. Densitometric vertebral fracture assessment and bone mineral density measurements in the central skeleton were performed for each patient. The participants completed a survey about features of their back pain. RESULTS Patients with vertebral fractures had more severe back pain based on the numeric rating scale: 6.14 vs. 4.33 (P<0.001, odds ratio [OR]=1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.29-1.59). Among these individuals, back pain caused reduction in normal activity during the day (P<0.001, OR=4.68, 95% CI: 2.86-7.68), and pain occurred more often (P<0.001, OR=1.77, 95% CI: 1.47-2.13), lasted longer (P<0.001, OR=2.01, 95% CI: 1.65-2.46), predominantly occurred in the lumbar spine (P<0.001, OR=4.70, 95% CI: 1.96-11.29), and intensified during normal everyday activities (P<0.001). Based on these results, a new survey was created. It demonstrated a sensitivity of 70.67% and a specificity of 67.37% in predicting a current compression fracture. CONCLUSIONS Patients with vertebral compression fractures experience higher pain intensity and exhibit specific features of back pain. The new survey can be considered a supportive tool in assessing the possibility of vertebral compression fractures.