Are you experiencing pain due to compression fractures in your spine? If you are, you may benefit from a state-of-the-art, minimally invasive procedure called kyphoplasty. Kyphoplasty is commonly referred to as “vertebral augmentation” and it is a procedure that repairs spinal fractures to reduce pain and other serious health problems like strenuous breathing, limited mobility, and on rare occasions, premature death.
The team at Southwest Spine and Pain Center specializes in comprehensive pain care and provides advanced treatment options like kyphoplasty to maximum pain relief. If you’re ready to stop living in pain, continue reading then call one of our offices to schedule an appointment with a highly-qualified pain management specialist.
If you’re familiar with this technology, you’ve probably heard the term vertebroplasty once or twice before and wondered how this differed from kyphoplasty. Well, kyphoplasty is similar to vertebroplasty, but requires a special tool to stabilize bone in the spine and restore lost vertebral body height. We’ll explain: kyphoplasty is performed while the patient is under conscious sedation and it involves inserting and gently inflating a small balloon inside damaged vertebrae to deliver a cement-like substance called polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA).
The purpose of this “special tool” and the polymethylmethacrylate is to restore bone height and reduce the risk of spinal deformity. This substance binds and sets the fragile fracture, which allows the soft inner bone of the vertebral body to strengthen and heal.
Each vertebra that needs to be repaired will likely take the physician performing the procedure about an hour to complete. After the surgery, the patient may either spend the day/night in the hospital or be released that same day—it just depends on what the physician signs-off on. The recovery process is pretty phenomenal with this procedure because patients can usually get back to their normal day-to-day activities within two to three days.
if you’re suffering from moderate to severe back pain due to spinal fractures, talk to your Southwest Spine and Pain Center physician about the possibility of kyphoplasty. Most patients with osteoporotic compression fractures are eligible for the procedure, but there us a chance certain patients with osteoporosis are not candidates for kyphoplasty. Again, call Southwest Spine and Pain Center today to discuss your treatment options and eligibility.
If chronic pain is impacting your life, don't wait to schedule an appointment at Southwest Spine and Pain Center. With three locations and growing, the pain management specialists at Southwest Spine and Pain Center are dedicated to helping those who suffer from chronic pain live the life they want to! To schedule an appointment, visit our locations tab!
The advice and information contained in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to replace or counter a physician’s advice or judgment. Please always consult your physician before taking any advice learned here or in any other educational medical material.
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