Is Kyphoplasty a Good Solution for Your Compression Fractures?

On an annual basis, Americans generally incur up to 1.5 million vertebral compression fractures. One of the frontline treatments for these fractures is kyphoplasty, which excels for many reasons, which we review here.

Vertebral compression fractures are far from uncommon among Americans. In fact, there are generally up to 1.5 million such fractures each year, with women far outpacing men. For example, about 25% of postmenopausal women have at least one vertebral compression fracture (VCF).

If you're dealing with a compression fracture in your back, there’s some good news: We have an excellent solution for relieving your pain and restoring your spine to its natural position.

Called kyphoplasty, our providers here at Apex Pain Specialists, under the direction of Dr. Maziar Massrour and Dr. Naveen Reddy, have considerable experience performing this procedure.

Below, we review why we turn to kyphoplasty, what it accomplishes, and why it's so successful.

The road to a compression fracture

When we say compression fracture, we’re referring to a process in your vertebrae in which a bone weakens and collapses. Usually caused by osteoporosis and bone loss, small cracks and fissures develop in the bone and cause the vertebrae to collapse down and in.

This usually happens in the thoracic vertebrae in the mid back, though it can also affect the lumbar vertebrae in the lower back.

As a result of a compression fracture, you can develop kyphosis, which, in layman’s terms, is a hunchback. In addition to the spinal collapse, you can also experience pain, which typically increases as the compression worsens.

Restoring height and strength to your vertebra

Kyphoplasty is a procedure in which we inject a special cement into the damaged vertebra to restore the bony structure to its original height (or close to it).

To accomplish this, we use minimally invasive techniques to insert a balloon into your collapsed vertebra. We then inflate the balloon to restore the shape of your vertebra. After removing the balloon, we use a long needle to fill the space with a special cement that will help maintain the strength and shape of the bone.

Why kyphoplasty is a great option

While we can’t say here what would be best for your particular situation, we can speak to the many reasons why our patients have found success with kyphoplasty. These reasons include the following:

Relieving pain

After we perform kyphoplasty, our patients often experience near immediate pain relief.

Stopping a progressive condition

Compression fractures are often progressive and, once one forms, surrounding vertebrae are more vulnerable to damage. With kyphoplasty, we can put a halt to this cascading degeneration.

A minimally invasive approach

As we mentioned, we use minimally invasive techniques to perform this procedure. As a result, kyphoplasty is an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home the same day.

Minimal downtime

After a day or two of taking it easy, you should be able to resume your regular activities after kyphoplasty, though we may ask you to avoid heavy lifting and strenuous activities for a little while longer.

Again, we can’t say whether kyphoplasty is right for you in this blog, but we can perform an evaluation in our office.

To get started, schedule a visit with Apex Pain Specialists by calling 480-820-7246 or booking an appointment online. Our office is located in Chandler, Arizona.