The Benefits of Kyphoplasty: Improved Mobility and Quality of Life

Patients with painful progressive vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) due to osteoporosis or cancer can benefit from a procedure known as kyphoplasty. This minimally invasive surgery can restore the average height of the spine and help eliminate pain.

Compared to controls, the operated group had significantly higher 6-minute walk distances and higher quality of life scores. However, more research is needed to evaluate these findings and identify reasons for the observed differences.

Reduced Pain

Kyphoplasty reshapes the spine, which relieves primary back pain caused by the collapse of a fractured vertebra and secondary pain associated with poor posture. It has also been shown to increase spinal height and reduce kyphosis (hunchback).

The results of a study that compared patients before and after a kyphoplasty procedure showed dramatic improvements in the quality of life. Back pain was reduced during rest and activity, and pain medication usage significantly decreased. Other spine parameters, such as SVA, LKA, Gardner, and Cobb angles, improved significantly.

Pain doctors, orthopedic surgeons, and interventional radiologists use this minimally invasive surgery to treat painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. It is performed on an outpatient basis, so hospitalization is avoided, and most patients can return to their routine shortly after the procedure. This groundbreaking procedure has improved the pain, quality of life, and mobility of those suffering from spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis or tumors.

Improved Posture

Kyphoplasty repairs fractured vertebrae in the spine to restore their height and reduce unwanted kyphosis, or spinal curvature. In one study, the kyphoplasty clinical trial found that patients who had this procedure experienced a dramatic reduction in the limitations of daily activities caused by back pain.

A doctor will use a needle to enter the vertebra through the skin and insert inflatable balloons, or balloon tamps, into the bone. When the tamps are in place, they are filled with orthopedic cement or polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). The PMMA fills the cavity created by the balloons and raises the vertebra to its original height.

This procedure is performed on an outpatient basis and is minimally invasive. Patients should notice pain relief right after surgery and can start walking shortly afterward. However, it’s essential to rest for a few days and avoid excessive activity until the pain caused by the procedure subsides. Patients may also experience complications, like infection or cement leakage onto a nerve or spinal cord.

Reduced Risk of Injury

Kyphoplasty is a surgical procedure to reduce pain caused by spinal fractures and correct kyphosis deformity. It’s a minimally invasive surgery performed under local or general anesthesia in an outpatient setting.

Studies have shown that patients who receive a balloon kyphoplasty are at a lower risk of death than their counterparts without the procedure. However, further multicenter prospective and randomized control studies must confirm these findings.

After a patient undergoes a kyphoplasty Jacksonville FL, their quality of life improves dramatically, allowing them to do everyday tasks they could not do before. They can go up and down the stairs again, bathe and dress themselves without assistance, and bend and stoop without experiencing back pain.

Many patients experience immediate pain relief and can walk an hour after the procedure. They may feel some bruising or soreness around the site where the needle entered their spine, but this is normal and will go away with time.

Better Sleep

Many people with multiple compression fractures develop a curved spine (kyphosis), making it hard to move around and sleep comfortably. Kyphoplasty helps restore vertebral height and eliminates the pain caused by a collapsed spinal bone.

In a kyphoplasty/vertebroplasty procedure, you lie on your stomach, and the healthcare provider inserts a hollow needle through a hole in your back (called a trocar). The doctor may use a type of x-ray called fluoroscopy to guide the placement of the trocar. Then, they fill the space in your broken spinal bone with cement (vertebroplasty) or an inflatable balloon-like device (balloon kyphoplasty).

You can usually go home on the same day as your surgery. You should arrange in advance for someone to drive you. The area in your back where the needles were inserted may feel sore for a few days. An ice pack will help relieve this pain. You can also take pain medications as directed by your healthcare provider.