Kyphoplasty Procedures
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive medical procedure performed to address spinal compression fractures. These injuries occur most frequently as result of osteoporosis, which makes vertebrae susceptible to crumpling when stress is exerted on them, and can include anything from heavy lifting to an intense cough. This damage can lead to back pain. People in the Metro Atlanta, Georgia, area who have back pain caused by such damage can turn to Pain Care for help.
At Pain Care, we see kyphoplasty, or “balloon vertebroplasty,” as one potential tool to help people with their spine health. After careful diagnosis and exploring more conservative treatment options, our board-certified physicians may recommend that the patients visiting our Atlanta offices consider kyphoplasty as an option to address their pain. This minimally invasive approach involves the following steps:
- Anesthetization – The patient is administered anesthesia before the kyphoplasty itself begins.
- Needle placement – The physician carefully inserts a needle into the skin above the affected area of the spine, using a fluoroscope (a machine that displays real-time X-ray images) to guide the needle into the vertebra.
- Balloon insertion – Once the needle is properly positioned, a tiny balloon is inserted through the needle into the fractured portion of the vertebra. It is inflated then deflated to create a cavity within the bone.
- Fracture stabilization – Bone cement is injected through the needle into the space the balloon created. As it hardens, it gives the bone more strength, filling in the cracks made by the fracture and stabilizing the spine.
The kyphoplasty may require several balloons and injections of bone cement, depending on the extent of the damage. Once the physician is done, the small openings in the skin are bandaged and the patient is then given instructions for recovering from kyphoplasty.
Deleted: If you have been diagnosed with a vertebral compression fracture and would like to know more about kyphoplasty, contact Pain Care today. We also invite anyone in the Metro Atlanta, GA, area who is suffering from any form of chronic pain to turn to us for help with their pain management needs.
