What is kyphoplasty?
Kyphoplasty is a procedure to repair damaged vertebrae by restoring their height and strength.
Though you may need this minimally invasive procedure for vertebrae damaged by a tumor, infection, or trauma, it’s most often used to treat vertebral compression fractures.
What causes vertebral compression fractures?
Compression fractures occur when the bones collapse because they’re too weak to support normal, everyday stress.
This type of fracture is caused by osteoporosis and most often affects your upper back or thoracic spine.
Untreated osteoporosis causes such extreme bone weakness that one or more vertebrae can collapse simply by coughing, sneezing, twisting, or lifting a light object.
What symptoms indicate I may need kyphoplasty?
After a vertebra collapses, you may experience:
- Sudden and severe upper back pain
- Limited movement
- Pain that’s worse when walking
- Pain that feels better when lying down
- Round-back deformity
- Loss of height
When you develop a compression fracture, the front side of the vertebra collapses while the back side retains the bone’s normal height. As a result, the bone has a wedge-like shape.
If several adjacent vertebrae collapse, their wedge-like shapes cause a rounded hump in your upper back. This round-back deformity is called kyphosis.
What happens during kyphoplasty?
For kyphoplasty at Pinnacle Pain and Spine, most patients receive a local anesthetic combined with conscious sedation. Our providers explain your anesthesia options before your procedure.
During the procedure, he uses fluoroscopy, a real-time X-ray that shows the targeted vertebrae and guides the procedure.
Our providers insert a slim, hollow needle into the center of the collapsed vertebra and inflate a medical-grade balloon. The balloon restores the bone’s normal height and creates a cavity.
After deflating and removing the balloon, he injects bone cement into the cavity. The cement restores the normal shape and strength of the bone, your spine regains stability, and you get relief from the pain.
What happens after kyphoplasty?
It’s common to have soreness at the injection site that only lasts a few days. Our providers give you detailed care instructions to follow, but you will need to limit intense activities for a time.
Many patients notice an immediate improvement in their pain. Others feel the full difference in a few days.
Don’t wait to get help for sudden or ongoing back pain. Call Pinnacle Pain and Spine or schedule an appointment online today.
