Height loss 'may be a sign of spinal injury'RSS Feed

Height loss may be an indicator of spinal injury in postmenopausal women, according to a new study.

Research published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggested that women over the age of 60 who have experienced height loss may have a spinal injury stemming back to their adolescence.

Experts at the Hopital Cochin and Universite Paris Descartes in Paris, France, analysed 1,779 randomly-selected general practitioners who were each asked to recruit five female patients over the age of 60.

Dr Karine Briot, who led the investigation, commented: "We observed a mean loss of height of 4.5cm since early adulthood in a large proportion. We found that the risk of an existing vertebral fracture was significantly higher among patients with a height loss of at least 4cm."

Meanwhile, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine recently suggested that the osteoporosis drugs Fosamax and Reclast were effective in reducing the risk of spinal cord injury.

Serious Law, leading spinal cord injury solicitors

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