Kyphoplasty

Why might I need to have kyphoplasty?

Kyphoplasty can correct vertebral damage due to trauma, infection, or a tumor. However, the most common use for this procedure is treating vertebral compression fractures.

Vertebral compression fractures typically occur in vertebrae affected by osteoporosis. This condition develops over time as bone loses its density, which makes it increasingly weak and liable to break.

Fractures are common in people with osteoporosis, as the weakened bones are prone to breaking under minimal stress. Osteoporotic fractures can affect any bones but are most visible in your back, as they affect the spinal curvature.

How do vertebral compression fractures affect my back?

Vertebral compression fractures mainly affect the thoracic spine (upper back). The weakened bone gives way, most often at the front, while the back of the vertebra remains intact. The result is that the bone forms a wedge shape.

A series of vertebral compression fractures causes the spine to take on an abnormal curvature known as kyphosis, often referred to as a dowager’s hump. The hunched appearance of the spine due to vertebral compression fractures is the most noticeable sign of osteoporosis.

What does the kyphoplasty procedure involve?

The first stage in your kyphoplasty procedure is receiving sedation to make you feel calm and sleepy, followed by a local anesthetic injection to numb your back.

Your provider at Richmond Spine Interventions and Pain Center then inserts a hollow needle into the target vertebra, using moving X-ray technology called fluoroscopy to guide the needle into the correct position.

When the needle is in place, your provider inflates the special balloon on the end. The balloon expands to gently open the vertebra, creating a space and restoring some of the lost height.

Next, your provider removes the balloon and injects bone cement into the space it leaves behind, a procedure known as vertebroplasty.

What happens after the kyphoplasty procedure?

Once the sedative wears off, you can go home. Your provider at Richmond Spine Interventions and Pain Center provides you with all the aftercare information you need, such as refraining from too much physical activity for a while.

The injection site might feel sore for a few days, but you may also experience immediate relief of your back pain following kyphoplasty. For some patients, it can take a few days or weeks to feel the effects.

If you have osteoporosis and suffer vertebral compression fractures, get fast and effective kyphoplasty treatment by calling Richmond Spine Interventions and Pain Center today or booking an appointment online.