[Conservative functional treatment of fractures of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae].

The treatment of fractures of the thoracic and lumbar vertebraes is determined by the (primary) stability or instability of the injury. "Stable" vertebral injuries are defined to affect the firmness of the vertebral column only slightly or not at all. Thus an early mobilization is generally possible without essential losses in shape and function. The dynamic functional treatment of vertebral fractures developed by Magnus and repeatedly modified later on has, together with a physiotherapeutical program containing 13 points, proved successful in the treatment of "stable" fractures of the thoracic and lumbar vertebraes.