Compression fractures at the anterior edge of the vertebral bodies may be caused by a hyperflexion motion alone or in combination with a vertical compression. The stability of these fractures is dependent on the degree of vertebral compression and the presence of posterior ligamentous damage. The major vector is flexion, and the minor vector is compression, which combined cause varying degrees of anterior vertebral damage. These fractures have been classified, based on degree of damage and potential instability evidenced radiographically, into five groups