A wedge fracture is best described as compression of which vertebral column portion?

A wedge fracture is best described as compression of which vertebral column portion?

• A. Posterior Column
• B. Anterior Column Only
• C. Middle Column
• D. All Three Columns

Answer: (B)

Wedge fractures reflect how the spine accommodates an axial load by primarily compressing the anterior portion of the vertebral body while the back part stays largely intact. In the Denis three-column model, the anterior column consists of the front half of the vertebral body and the anterior longitudinal ligament. When the force is directed along the axis, the front portion buckles and height is lost, creating the wedge shape, but the middle and posterior columns are not disrupted. Because only the anterior column is compressed, this pattern is considered an anterior-column–only injury and tends to be relatively stable. This contrasts with burst fractures, where the middle column also fails and fragments can retropulse toward the spinal canal, indicating greater instability.

Wedge fractures reflect how the spine accommodates an axial load by primarily compressing the anterior portion of the vertebral body while the back part stays largely intact. In the Denis three-column model, the anterior column consists of the front half of the vertebral body and the anterior longitudinal ligament. When the force is directed along the axis, the front portion buckles and height is lost, creating the wedge shape, but the middle and posterior columns are not disrupted. Because only the anterior column is compressed, this pattern is considered an anterior-column–only injury and tends to be relatively stable. This contrasts with burst fractures, where the middle column also fails and fragments can retropulse toward the spinal canal, indicating greater instability.