Treating Your Compression Fracture with Kyphoplasty: A Path to Pain Relief and Improved Mobility
The reality is that it is extremely challenging to carry out ordinary activities with a compression fracture. This could see you finding it almost impossible to move due to the excruciating pain, you feel like simple tasks are out of the question.
Some fractures will take time to heal on their own, but this does not mean that they should not seek the services of a doctor to have the pains relieved so that they can have a normal life again. As a result, the operation carried out under the name of kyphoplasty is for those who have chronic discomfort due to a compression fracture.
THE NATURE OF COMPRESSION FRACTURES
However, understanding what makes compression fractures is crucial before going through the whole treatment process. Breaks in the vertebrae—the bones that make up your spine—are known as compression fractures. It is common for the vertebral body to become squashed as a result of these fractures, resulting in pain, height loss and a potentially hunched appearance.
Osteoporosis causes bones to become fragile to break and can result in fractures; in elderly patients, it often causes compression fractures. Bones become weaker in age and spinal fracture becomes part of everyone’s possibility in daily activities such as bending to pick up something or dressing up.
What is Kyphoplasty?
Kyphoplasty is a surgical procedure utilized in handling spinal compression fractures, and it is less invasive than other surgical operations. They are relatively complex and evolved from a former procedure called vertebroplasty. The primary difference is in the different approaches to how the actual surgery of kyphoplasty reconstructs the particular vertebrae before cementing it in place.
A little balloon will be used by our kyphoplasty specialist to help develop the compressed vertebra during the periods of treatment. Following the correct positioning of the vertebra to its proper position, the surgeon injects specific high-viscosity bone cement into the bones and maintains the changed contour. It is of necessity this two-fold contouring and subsequent reinforcement that makes kyphoplasty unique from other forms of treatment.
When is Kyphoplasty Recommended?
Typically, doctors start with conservative treatments for compression fractures. These may include:
Pain medication
Activity modification
Bracing
In many spinal fractures, patients can get better in about three months using the non-surgical techniques above. But your doctor may recommend for you kyphoplasty and this is if the other methods are not effective in reducing the pain or improving your mobility.
Also, a procedure called kyphoplasty may be recommended where vertebral compression fracture compromises the spinal nerve cord, which is an emergency since it may result in certain neurological effects.
However, one has to bear in mind that not all types of spinal fractures fall into the category of fractures which may be treated with a kyphoplasty. How it stands with you as an individual is to ascertain whether or not kyphoplasty is the appropriate procedure most befitting your case and this demands a complete assessment from a Houston kyphoplasty expert.
The Kyphoplasty Procedure: What to Expect
Kyphoplasty is less invasive in nature and can be performed in most cases through a day surgical procedure. Here's a general overview of what you can expect:
Preparation: This surgery is done in one of the best warm states, so you will be given either local or general anesthetic.
Incision: The surgeon then finds a point at the back of your body just a little above and to the side of the involved vertebra and makes an incision.
Balloon Insertion: A channel of a small diameter is made through the incised part and into the fractured vertebral body. Through this tube, the surgeon inserts a special balloon
Vertebra Reshaping: This cavity within the compressed vertebra is formed as the balloon is carefully inflated thus achieving the height that was lost.
Cement Injection: After that, the vertebra is reshaped, and the balloon used is deflated and drawn out of the body. The surgeon also uses a cement-like material to pack the cavity and shortly afterwards the cement solidifies and makes the bone set.
Completion: The tube is taken out and the incision is then sutured and later covered with a small dressing.
Advantages of Kyphoplasty for Compression Fractures
Kyphoplasty offers numerous benefits for patients suffering from compression fractures:
Significant Pain Reduction: Many patients experience substantial relief from their back pain, often within days of the procedure.
Improved Mobility: Patients typically find it easier to move around and perform daily activities as pain decreases.
Restored Posture: By reshaping the vertebra, kyphoplasty can help correct the "hunched" posture often associated with compression fractures.
Enhanced Quality of Life: The combination of pain relief and improved mobility can lead to a significant boost in overall quality of life.
Minimally Invasive: Compared to traditional open surgery, kyphoplasty involves smaller incisions, leading to less tissue damage and faster recovery.
Short Recovery Time: Many patients can return home the same day as the procedure and resume normal activities within a few days.
Potential Height Restoration: By restoring vertebral height, kyphoplasty may help patients regain some of the height lost due to the fracture.
Who is an Ideal Candidate for Kyphoplasty?
While kyphoplasty can be beneficial for many patients with compression fractures, it's not suitable for everyone. Ideal candidates for this procedure typically include:
Patients over 50 years old with osteoporosis-related compression fractures
Those experiencing severe pain that hasn't responded to conservative treatments
Individuals with compression fractures that haven't healed on their own after several weeks
Patients whose fractures have led to significant loss of height or deformity of the spine
It's important to note that kyphoplasty is generally not recommended for treating traumatic fractures or for patients with certain health conditions that might increase the risks associated with the procedure.
The Role of a Kyphoplasty Specialist Houston
When considering kyphoplasty, it's crucial to consult with an experienced kyphoplasty specialist in Houston. These specialists have the expertise to:
Accurately diagnose your condition through physical examinations and imaging studies
Determine if kyphoplasty is the most appropriate treatment for your specific case
Explain the procedure in detail, including its benefits and potential risks
Perform the kyphoplasty procedure with precision and care
Provide comprehensive post-procedure care and monitoring
At Texas Pain Specialist, our board-certified orthopaedic surgeons specialize in minimally invasive spine procedures like kyphoplasty. They stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in spine care to ensure the best possible outcomes for our patients.
Recovery and Aftercare
The comparatively fast healing period following kyphoplasty is one of its main benefits. Most individuals can leave the surgery and go home the same day. The area where the incision was made may hurt a little, but this usually goes away in a few days.
Your physician will provide you with detailed recommendations for your recuperation, which could consist of:
Limiting strenuous activities for a short period
Increasing your amount of activity gradually as you feel comfortable
Using painkillers as necessary
keeping follow-up appointments to track your development
After the treatment, many patients can resume their regular activities in about a week. Nonetheless, to guarantee appropriate recovery and optimize the advantages of the kyphoplasty, you must adhere to your doctor's instructions.
Long-Term Outlook
It is worth emphasizing that many patients exposed to kyphoplasty find effective relief lasting for months in most of them. However, it should be noted that despite making the fracture, kyphoplasty does not arrest the progression of the condition that might have caused the fracture to begin with.
If you have osteoporosis that triggered your compression fracture, your doctor will then prescribe a long-term treatment that addresses the bone-weakening condition.
This may include:
Calcium and vitamin D supplements
Medications to increase bone density
Regular weight-bearing exercises
Lifestyle changes to improve bone health
Conclusion
These types of injuries are painful and interfere with your quality of life but there’s no reason to endure the pain alone. Kyphoplasty is less invasive and could help a majority of patients with their pain and limited movement issues to alleviate.
Compression fracture is a condition that mostly affects the spine causing back pains and patients whose conditions have not improved through conservative treatment may consider meeting a kyphoplasty specialist in Houston. If you are in search of a Texas pain specialist who has skilled and trained spine specialists then look no further since Texas Pain Specialist is at your service ready and willing to guide you on how you can benefit from a kyphoplasty.
Of course, each patient is a special individual and what is beneficial to one patient will not necessarily fit another patient. That is why we can provide an individual approach, which is an individual approach to each client, with an individual program of treatment.