Common Questions
What is a fragility fracture?
A fragility fracture is one that results from mechanical forces that would not ordinarily cause fracture in a healthy young adult. This is sometimes quantified as forces equivalent to a fall from a standing height or less.
Fragility fractures are strong predictors of future fracture since they reflect poor bone quality. Women who have had vertebral or non-spine fractures have an increased risk of future vertebral fractures independent of bone mineral density (BMD) (1, 2). Thus, women and men with vertebral fractures not resulting from major trauma should be considered to have osteoporosis or osteomalacia regardless of their BMD.
- Ross PD, Davis JW, Epstein RS, Wasnich RD. Pre-existing fracture and bone mass predict vertebral fracture incidence in women. Ann Intern Med 1991; 114: 919-923.
- Cummings SR, Nevitt MC, Browner WS, et al. For the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group. Risk factors for fracture in white women. N Engl J Med 1991; 324: 1326-1331.