Kyphoplasty Offers Quick Relief
from the Pain of Vertebral Fractures
Joyce Law dealt with the pain from fractured vertebrae for almost six months -- but then relief came in just one day. Joyce, 83, thought she had walked away unscathed after falling backward on her patio last March. Within weeks, however, she noticed a nagging pain between her shoulder blades that gradually got worse.
Joyce's story is not uncommon, given older adults' increased risk for osteoporosis -- a "silent" disease that affects 30 million Americans, 80 percent of them women.
Osteoporosis, a loss of bone density which causes bone fragility, is the leading cause of vertebral compression fractures. These fractures often go undiagnosed because back pain may be dismissed as a sign of aging.
For Joyce, help finally came when a pain management physician diagnosed three fractured vertebrae in her upper back and referred her to George Botelho, MD, an orthopedic surgeon performing a minimally invasive procedure called kyphoplasty.
Restoring and Repairing Vertebral Fractures
Kyphoplasty is a procedure that repairs spinal fractures using a quick-hardening cement. With the kyphoplasty procedure, Dr. Botelho restores the spinal anatomy by inserting a tiny balloon into each fractured vertebra, which pushes the bone back to its normal height and shape. The balloon creates a cavity, which, when removed, is filled with cement."When vertebrae break, they lose their naturally rectangular shape and become more pie-shaped," Dr. Botelho explains. "As the bone heals, deformities set in, leaving patients susceptible to pain and further fractures. For this reason, kyphoplasty is most effective when it's done soon after the fracture occurs, before the bones begin to knit together on their own."
Kyphoplasty is an outpatient procedure that can be performed in less than an hour. Patients generally notice complete relief, often as soon as the anesthesia wears off.
Dr. Botelho notes that the procedure is not meant to correct arthritis, bone spurs, herniated disks or other sources of back pain.
From Pain-Free Walking to Waltzing
Joyce was impressed with how simple the procedure was. "I was in and out of the hospital the same day, with only four little incisions in my back," she says."Now I'm looking forward to traveling again," Joyce says. "I'm feeling so good that at my last checkup with Dr. Botelho, I told him I was going to audition for Dancing with the Stars."
Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon
