Kyphoplasty for Compression Fractures

You step off a curb and feel a sudden, sharp pain in your middle or lower back. Or perhaps something similar happened after you sneezed, lifted something heavy, or experienced a fall. The pain seems to come and go, getting worse when you stand or walk and better when you lie down. It could be a compression fracture.

What are compression fractures?

Compression fractures are cracks or breaks in the vertebrae of the spine that can occur during everyday activities when your bones are weak from osteoporosis. Over time, they tend to worsen and can cause the vertebrae to collapse. Compression fractures may press on spinal nerves, causing pain, numbness or muscle weakness. People with compression fractures may also lose height and begin to hunch over. These types of spinal fractures can limit your range of motion and mobility, cause debilitating pain, and take a significant toll on your quality of life.

Kyphoplasty, an alternative to spinal fusion surgery for compression fracture

Treatment for compression fractures often involves bed rest, physical therapy, pain medications and/or a back brace. While these measures may offer some relief, they do not address the actual problem. Spinal fusion surgery can be done in severe cases to stabilize the spine, but it is invasive and has a high complication rate and long recovery period.

The doctors at CiC offer a revolutionary, yet safe and effective treatment for compression fractures called kyphoplasty.

What to expect

Your doctor will make a tiny nick in your skin through which to insert a catheter. Using a form of x-ray guidance called fluoroscopy, the catheter is guided to the location of the compression fracture in your spine. A balloon is inserted between the collapsed vertebrae and inflated to take pressure off of the spinal nerves. The balloon is removed, and the space is filled with medical-grade cement, providing strength and stability to the bone as well as restoring height and spinal curvature.

Why choose kyphoplasty?

Kyphoplasty is a safe, effective, minimally-invasive procedure that is done right in the CiC office. By restoring the space between vertebrae, kyphoplasty not only relieves the pain and neurological symptoms related to nerve compression, but also ends your days of walking around “hunched over” and brings you back to your natural height. Patients go home with a band-aid and minor discomfort. Most people are able to resume normal activities pain-free within a day or two after the procedure.