Denton County Living Well Magazine Winter 2014 | Page 50

BACK TO A
HEALTHIER LIFESTYLE
Procedure Offers Relief for Patients with Fractured Vertebrae
Balloon Kyphoplasty Features Numerous Benefits
By Jennifer Zahn, MD, MPH
You 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 the
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
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