7 Training Mistakes That Increase Vertebral Fracture Risk

1. Loaded Spinal Flexion

Crunches, sit-ups, and forward bends under load create the exact mechanical conditions that can cause vertebral compression fractures. Limit these movements if you have low bone density.

2. Rounding Your Back During Deadlifts

A flexed lumbar spine under heavy load concentrates enormous forces on the anterior aspect of your vertebrae. Master the hip hinge pattern with a neutral spine before adding significant load. be mindful if you already have significant kyphosis you may not be able to “look neutral”.

3. Overhead Movements with Poor Thoracic Extension

Pressing weights overhead whilst your thoracic spine is flexed forward forces your lumbar spine into excessive extension to compensate. This creates shear forces that stress vertebrae. Establish thoracic extension mobility before heavy overhead pressing.

4. Quick Twisting Under Load

Rotational exercises with momentum, Russian twists with weight, cable wood chops performed explosively, create torsional forces that vertebrae handle poorly. Slow, controlled rotation is safe. Explosive twisting under load is less so.

5. Training Through Fatigue

Spinal position degrades when you’re exhausted. The last reps of a fatiguing set, when your form breaks down, are when fracture risk peaks. Stop sets before technique fails. Perfect reps build bone.

6. Ignoring Individual Anatomy

If you have existing vertebral compression fractures or severe hyperkyphosis, standard programming doesn’t apply. You need modified exercises that avoid the specific positions where your spine is vulnerable. Generic programmes can be dangerous.

7. Progressing Load Too Aggressively

Bone adapts slowly, approximately 1% increases in density over months, not weeks. Increasing weight by 10kg every week overwhelms your skeleton’s adaptive capacity. Progress by 2.5-5kg every 2-3 weeks. Patience prevents fractures.