I fractured my L5 when I was 15 years old. It is still cracked more than 15 years later. It is something called a "scottie dog fracture". There is a surgery to repair but I never had it because it was deemed unneeded because I was so young and resilient. A 15 year who is still growing can't really compare to a 31 year old but I can share a bit of what it was like.
When I was first diagnosed I work a hard plastic backbrace under my clothes. It wasn't bulky or noticable. I also missed a whole semester of gym class. I was supposed to have physical therapy at the time but my father wouldn't allow it (he was an idiot). The first few years were difficult because of dealing with pain. Now I barely notice it but have to be careful what sort of mattress I use or what sort of shoes I wear. I can have pain from time to time but am, more or less, living a "normal" life.
Doing anything that involved jumping was difficult because the vibrations would go up my legs and jar my spine.
If these reports of cracked/fractured vertebrae are correct then he does not have an easy road ahead of him.
"All our dreams can come true -- if we have the courage to pursue them." -- Walt Disney
We must have different Gods. My God said "do to others what you would have them do to you". Your God seems to have said "My Way or the Highway".
