Table 1 Principle inclusion and exclusion criteria

Age >60

Inability to provide informed consent

Pain from one or two acute vertebral fractures

Chronic back pain requiring narcotic analgesia

MRI or SPECT-CT obtained within previous week

Presence of sciatica

Duration of fracture pain <6 weeks

Significant retropulsion into spinal canal

Pain >7/10 on numeric scale

Evidence of spinal malignancy

Patient can speak English

Active systemic infection