Dallas County Living Well Magazine Summer 2014 | Page 43

Back to a Healthier Lifestyle
Balloon Kyphoplasty Procedure Offers Numerous Benefits and Relief
for Patients with Fractured Vertebrae

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By Crys Sory, MD
ou were getting out of bed and suddenly felt
a “pop” and an intense amount of pain in
your back that nearly leaves you unable to
move. Osteoporosis has caused your bones
to become so weak and brittle that everyday
activities, such as walking, sleeping and getting out of bed,
become more difficult than usual. The back pain is caused
by small fractures in the spine, also known as vertebral
compression fractures (VCF).
Most VCFs are caused by osteoporosis, a disease that
causes bones to become brittle and break easily. Osteoporosis, often called the “silent disease”––because bone
loss occurs without symptoms––threatens approximately 44 million Americans, or 55% of people 50
years old and older, according to the National
Osteoporosis Foundation. Ten million
people have the disease and 34 million
more are estimated to have the low
bone mass that places them at risk for
the disease.
If not prevented or if left untreated,
osteoporosis can progress painlessly as bones
gradually break down, until a bone breaks.
These broken bones occur typically in the spine,
hip, and wrist. People may not even know they
have osteoporosis until their bones become so
weak that a sudden strain, bump or fall causes
an injury such as a VCF.
A VCF can cause severe back pain. Left untreated, one VCF can lead to multiple fractures
that can cause kyphosis––a serious health condition marked by forward curvature of the upper back––
commonly called a “dowager’s hump.” This condition can
lead to a host of health problems including loss of appetite,
sleeping problems, difficulty in breathing, and an increased risk of death.
Traditional treatment for VCFs is limited to bed rest,
bracing and pain management, often through narcotics.
While these therapies may help to decrease a patient’s
pain over time, they do not treat the deformity related to
osteoporotic fractures. If left untreated, the curvature
caused by VCFs becomes more pronounced, painful and
debilitating.
However, vertebral compression fractures can be
treated. Balloon kyphoplasty, a minimally invasive procedure, is designed to treat the fracture and can significantly
reduce back pain, correct spinal deformity and improve
quality of life. Over 850,000 patients worldwide have been
treated with balloon kyphoplasty.
The benefits of this procedure include:

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Significant reduction in back pain
Significant improvement in quality of life
Significant improvement in mobility
Significant improvement in ability to perform daily activities

What is involved in Balloon Kyphoplasty?
Balloon kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive treatment for
VCFs. With a hollow instrument, the surgeon creates a
small pathway through a tiny incision (approximately
one centimeter in length) into the fractured bone. A
small orthopedic balloon is then guided through the
instrument into the vertebrae. The balloon is then
carefully inflated in an effort to raise the collap ͕