Our Treatments

The center was designed to deliver treatment to pain patients in a caring and compassionate manner,
with an understanding of how chronic pain can affect numerous facets of an individual’s life.

What is a Kyphoplasty?

Kyphoplasty is a non-surgical procedure that fills in the breaks and cracks of a vertebral compression fractures. This is also known at Vertebral Augmentation for Compression Fractures. This procedure is usually performed on patients whose spinal fractures have occurred as a result of osteoporosis or a traumatic injury. Kyphoplasty is designed to stop the pain caused by a spinal fracture, to stabilize the bone, and to restore some or all of the lost vertebral body height due to the compression fracture.

How does this procedure work?

The patient is awake or minimal sedation (twilight) may be used during the procedure. If the patient is awake during the procedure, risks associated with general anesthesia are avoided. An intravenous line may be inserted so that mild to moderate sedatives can be administered. Local anesthetic is used to numb the skin and surrounding soft tissue. Once adequate local anesthesia is obtained the vertebral augmentation process begins.

A bio-identical orthopedic cement is injected through a trocar (special spinal needles) and into a cavity at the fractured site created by a special kyphoplasty balloon under fluoroscopy (live x-ray). Medical-grade cement hardens quickly, typically within 20 minutes. The trocar is removed after the cement is injected.

The fractures usually heal on their own and the pain goes away. However, sometimes the pain can persist if the crushed bone fails to heal adequately. In severe cases of osteoporosis, actions as simple as bending forward can be enough to cause a “crush fracture,” or spinal compression fracture. Augmentation is recommended early when healing is delayed or to prevent other complications associated with a fractured spine.

What are the benefits of this treatment?

  1. Minimally Invasive: There may be a very small incision
  2. Recovery time for rehabilitation with no pain
  3. Prevents associated complications with spinal compression including: nerve damage, muscle atrophy, pneumonia, infection, paralysis etc.
  4. Stabilizes the vertebral fracture which is considered very unstable and increases risk of other fractures as in a domino effect.
How many treatments will i need?

If one or multiple fractures are identified, it is possible to treat those levels in one procedure. As long a further injury is prevented, one procedure is usually required. Vertebral Augmentation for spinal compression fracture treats instability and pain further reducing the risk of associated complications or the likelihood that additional fractures should occur in patients with soft bone syndrome such as Osteoporosis or Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

What is the recovery time of this procedure?

The procedure is performed in an ambulatory surgery setting and does not require general anesthesia, allowing a quick recovery. Overall, there is no down time following the procedure. Any regards for recovery may require 24 hours if minimal sedation is used.

The results of the Kyphoplasty are immediate. Patients with severe pain prior to the procedure will often report over 80% reduction in pain upon discharge from the recovery area. Patients unable to walk as a result of a spinal compression fracture are more likely walk following the procedure due to reduction in pain and improvement in spinal stability and height.

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