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Kyphoplasty
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure designed to stabilize the fractured vertebra, restore lost height, and significantly reduce pain, often providing dramatic relief within 24–48 hours.
What is a Kyphoplasty?
A vertebral compression fracture — often caused by osteoporosis, injury, or cancer affecting the spine — can cause sudden, severe back pain and progressive loss of height or spinal curvature. Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure designed to stabilize the fractured vertebra, restore lost height, and significantly reduce pain — often providing dramatic relief within 24–48 hours. During kyphoplasty, Dr. Brewer uses a small balloon to gently restore the compressed vertebra's shape before filling it with bone cement to lock it in a stable position. This approach combines the precision of a surgical technique with the minimal recovery of an outpatient procedure.
What To Expect
Kyphoplasty is performed at Park Plaza Surgical Specialists under IV sedation or general anesthesia and typically takes 45–60 minutes. Here's the process:
✔️ You'll lie face-down on the procedure table and the surgical site will be sterilized.
✔️ Two small incisions are made in the back and hollow probes are advanced to the fractured vertebra under continuous fluoroscopic guidance.
✔️ A small balloon (called a bone tamp) is inserted through the probe and carefully inflated to restore the vertebral height and create a cavity.
✔️ The balloon is deflated and removed, and surgical-grade bone cement is injected into the cavity under controlled pressure.
✔️ The cement hardens quickly, stabilizing the fracture and restoring structure to the vertebra.
✔️ The small incisions are closed with sutures or adhesive strips — no large incision required.
Results and Recovery
Many patients experience significant pain reduction within 24–48 hours of kyphoplasty — often the fastest relief of any procedure we perform for spinal pain. You'll spend a short time in recovery and most patients go home the same day. Light walking is encouraged soon after the procedure. Strenuous activity and heavy lifting should be avoided for 4–6 weeks while the surrounding bone strengthens. A follow-up appointment will assess your recovery and spinal alignment, and we may recommend physical therapy or osteoporosis treatment to protect the remaining vertebrae.
WHO IS THIS BEST FOR?
Kyphoplasty is most beneficial for patients who:
✔️ Have recently sustained a vertebral compression fracture due to osteoporosis, trauma, or cancer
✔️Are experiencing severe, activity-limiting back pain that came on suddenly
✔️ Have a fracture that is still relatively recent (typically within 6–8 weeks for best outcomes)
✔️ Have failed to find adequate pain relief with bed rest, bracing, or pain medications
✔️ Have multiple fractures or progressive spinal curvature (kyphosis) affecting posture and breathing
Frequently Asked Questions
Many patients report significant pain relief within 24–48 hours — kyphoplasty often provides some of the most rapid post-procedure improvement of any treatment we offer. Full stabilization occurs as the cement completely hardens, typically within hours.
Yes. Kyphoplasty is frequently performed on elderly patients with osteoporotic fractures. Because it requires only small incisions and can be performed under sedation rather than general anesthesia, it's generally well-tolerated even by patients who are not candidates for open spine surgery.
Absolutely — treating the underlying osteoporosis is an important part of protecting your remaining vertebrae from future fractures. After kyphoplasty, we'll work with your primary care physician or a bone specialist to ensure appropriate osteoporosis management is in place.
In vertebroplasty, cement is injected directly into the fracture without first using a balloon to restore height. Kyphoplasty's balloon-first approach allows for better height restoration and creates a controlled space for the cement, often resulting in improved structural outcomes.
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