Approximately twenty percent of adults over the age of 50 are affected by vertebral compression fractures, making them one of the most common spinal fractures. At his practice, Kirk Minkus, MD, treats spinal fractures in Mesa with a minimally invasive procedure known as Kyphoplasty. Dr. Minkus is an expert in interventional radiology with extensive experience conducting Kyphoplasty, which is useful in restoring normal spinal mobility and strength. You cannot go through Kyphoplasty if the bone heals, so do not delay to schedule an appointment. Call or book an appointment online today.
What Causes Spinal Fractures?
Your spine vertebrae can suffer several types of fractures, but there are two major causes. You may get a spinal fracture on one or more vertebrae because of high energy trauma such as a car accident or fall. Your vertebra might also collapse without significant trauma because it’s too weak. This condition is known as a vertebral compression fracture.
What Causes A Vertebral Compression Fracture?
Although a trauma could cause a vertebral compression fracture, most of them are caused by osteoporosis. During your lifetime, the body continuously gets rid of damaged or old bone and replaces it with a new and healthy bone. This process is known as remodeling. Your bones remain strong as long as remodeling stays in balance. However, if the old bones are discarded faster than replaced, the bone loses mass and becomes brittle and weak. This is when you get osteoporosis. Osteoporosis makes the vertebra very weak so that it can collapse as you do your daily activities. Bending over or coughing can exert enough stress on the vertebra causing a compression fracture.
What Symptoms Develop If You Have A Spinal Compression Fracture?
Many of the patients feel pain at the time the vertebra collapses. Usually, the pain feels better when you lie down and worsens when you are active. Over time, your upper back might develop a rounded appearance; a condition referred to as kyphosis. When you experience a compression fracture, the front of the vertebra collapses while the back remains intact. The rounded appearance results when several adjacent vertebrae suffer compression fractures creating wedge-shaped bones.
What Should You Expect During Spinal Compression Fracture Treatment?
Dr. Minkus does Kyphoplasty, a minimally invasive procedure to repair compression fractures. The kyphoplasty procedure involves real-time imaging to view the spine and insertion of a hollow needle into the damaged vertebra. Once he inserts the hollow needle in place, the doctor will insert a balloon into the vertebra and inflate it to restore the bones’ natural shape and height. He will then remove the balloon and fill the space with bone cement. The cement helps to maintain the shape of the vertebrae and allow the fracture to heal completely. This enables you to effectively regain normal spine movement and strength while also relieving pain.
To sum up, if you experience a spinal fracture, don’t wait to seek medical care. If the bone heals, you can’t have Kyphoplasty. At the first sign of back pain, call or book an appointment online with Kirk Minkus, MD.