ABSTRACT
Owing to stiffness and osteoporosis, spinal fractures are four times more likely in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) than they are in age-matched controls (1–5). Due to the kyphotic deformity of the spine, falls often result in extension fractures. Minor trauma in AS such as simple falls can result in spinal fractures with serious neurological deficit in at least half of the patients (3,6,7). An earlier review at the University of Iowa revealed that minor injuries were responsible for thoracolumbar fractures in 7 of 12 patients with AS (3,7). Therefore, in the avoidance of these fractures and associated neurological deficit, prevention of minor injuries in AS is of utmost importance (2–14). Both cervical and thoracic fractures can occur simultaneously mandating radiological studies of the entire spine in any AS patient presenting with possible fracture (7,11,15–17).
