When you have osteoporosis, your spine may become brittle, which makes you highly susceptible to a neck or back fracture. However, even without osteoporosis, you can still sustain a neck or back fracture due to cancer or high-energy trauma.
In some cases when bracing and resting are not enough to facilitate healing in a spinal fracture, your doctor may recommend kyphoplasty to treat your low back pain and mitigate the other symptoms.
If you’re unsure what this procedure is, it pays to gain a general understanding, so you can discuss with your doctor whether it is right for you.
Overview
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure—involving smaller incisions and a faster recovery time—for correcting bone deformity or for relieving pain caused by a spinal fracture. The procedure involves the use of an acrylic bone cement to stabilize the fractured vertebra and prevent it from collapsing.
The procedure is ideal for people who are experiencing bone loss either due to cancer or osteoporosis or those who sustained a cervical, thoracic, or lumbar spine fracture, particularly one that didn’t heal using a conservative approach.
Procedure
Before your surgery, your doctor will sedate you to keep you comfortable, and possibly, asleep throughout the process.
At the start of the process, your doctor will insert a special needle into the location of your fracture. Your doctor will then inflate a balloon to open up the space in your vertebra. Next, your doctor will inject the special bone cement into your vertebra to repair the fracture.
The bone cement remains in your vertebra and holds the bone together. It also helps maintain the shape and size of the vertebra.
If you have more than one fracture, your doctor can perform kyphoplasty on all of them in one session.
At the end of the procedure, your doctor will remove the needle, without the need for any stitches, as opposed to an that with an open surgery.
The entire procedure usually takes less than an hour, unless you require treatment for multiple vertebrae.
Aftercare
Immediately after your procedure, you’ll spend time in a recovery room until the anesthesia wears off. This allows the medical staff to closely monitor you. Some people go home within the same day, but you may also need to stay overnight for further monitoring, depending on your doctor’s recommendations.
You may notice a bit of discomfort after your procedure from the injection. It only lasts a short period, typically a few days after the procedure. You should notice significantly less pain from the fracture soon after your surgery.
Before you leave the office, your practitioner will let you know any precautions you should take while you’re recovering. For instance, you may need to skip certain activities, but you should be able to walk after your procedure.
Kyphoplasty in Melbourne, FL
At Central Florida Spine & Pain, Dr. Nicholas Giordano is a board-certified interventional pain specialist who has extensive experience in nonsurgical and surgical—but minimally invasive—treatments for a wide variety of painful conditions such as a spinal fracture. Once Dr. Giordano confirms that you’re a good candidate for a kyphoplasty, he will give you all the necessary instructions to get you adequately prepared for the procedure and ensure a highly successful outcome.
To arrange a consultation with Dr. Giordano or to learn more about our services, call us at 321-802-5021 or use our online appointment request tool.
