Demographic and economic trends in vertebral fracture surgeries throughout the United States

The significant increase in vertebral fracture surgeries between 1993 and 2014 may reflect an increased rate of fractures, more surgeons electing to treat fractures surgically, or a combination of both. The increasing rate of vertebral fracture surgery, coupled with increasing hospital costs and mortality, signifies that the treatment of vertebral fractures remains a challenging issue in healthcare. Further research is necessary to determine the underlying cause of both the increase in surgeries and the increasing mortality rate.