[Strategies of early rehabilitation in acute care of patients with vertebral fractures].

Due to the aging population the number of vertebral fractures will increase in the next years. In the acute care setting the pain treatment of patients with acute vertebral fractures is highly important. Part of the acute pain treatment is the early rehabilitative intervention of the treating team consisting of physicians, nurses and physiotherapists. In the acute care setting mostly rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons and physical therapy physicians are the treating physicians. Individual physiotherapy and patient communication and instruction are most important in this acute care setting. Special techniques of mobilisation and positioning are instructed. The guidelines of pain therapy in elderly geriatric patients have to be observed. In the last decade opioid therapy is one of the cornerstones of pharmacotherapy. For posture training and stabilization individual corselets have to be adapted. The aim is to stabilize the vertebral column and to avoid further anterior or posterior compression of the vertebral body. In the secondary prevention novel therapy programs are discussed.