Kyphoplasty
Kyphoplasty treats a painful compression fracture by stabilizing the broken vertebra from the inside. Through a small incision, a balloon restores some of the lost height and the space is filled with bone cement. It is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, and for fractures that have not settled with time and bracing, pain relief is often rapid.
How the procedure works
With the patient lying face down, a narrow tube is guided under X-ray into the fractured vertebra through a small incision. A balloon is inflated inside the bone to lift the collapsed portion and create a cavity, then withdrawn. The cavity is filled with bone cement, which hardens within minutes and stabilizes the fracture. The procedure takes about thirty to sixty minutes per level.
When it is recommended
Most compression fractures heal with pain control and bracing over four to eight weeks, and kyphoplasty is reserved for fractures that remain severely painful despite that care, or that continue to collapse on follow-up X-rays. Treating earlier is reasonable in patients whose pain prevents them from getting out of bed, because immobility carries its own risks in older adults. Fractures that are unstable or pressing on the spinal cord or nerves need surgical stabilization instead.
After the procedure
Patients walk within a few hours and go home the same day. Pain from the fracture is often substantially better within a day or two. Activity resumes quickly, and physical therapy for posture and safe movement is helpful. Because one fracture raises the risk of another, treatment of the underlying osteoporosis is arranged with your primary care physician or an endocrinologist.
Common questions
Is kyphoplasty safe?
It is a well-established, low-risk procedure. Cement leakage outside the vertebra is the most discussed risk and is usually without consequence; balloon kyphoplasty reduces it compared with older techniques.
Will it restore my height?
The balloon restores some of the lost height in many fractures, particularly recent ones. Older, healed fractures gain less height, though pain relief is still the main goal.
Does kyphoplasty prevent future fractures?
No. It treats the fractured vertebra. Preventing the next fracture depends on treating bone density, which is part of the plan.