Wedged compression fractures:
the most common type of lumbar fractures
isolated failure of the anterior column
wedge-shaped vertebral body
mechanism of injury: hyperflexion and axial load
rarely associated with neural injury
The main differential is burst fracture (fracture of the anterior and middle columns with or without posterior column fracture, usually associated with neural injury).
The importance of differentiating compression from burst fractures lies in the higher frequency of neurological deficits associated with the latter.