One-hour Balloon Technique Rids Back Pain from Spinal Fractures
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 27, 2007) – Spinal fractures come in all shapes
and sizes and affect millions of Americans each year. But with breakthrough techniques in spine
health, many are living without the pain they once had.
One of these techniques is kyphoplasty, which is used to heal breaks to vertebral bones in the spine. By stabilizing the fracture, kyphoplasty can reduce back pain, restore height and improve spinal alignment.
With kyphoplasty, tiny balloons are inserted into the fracture and inflated to stabilize and re-expand the fracture. Once the bone is back in its correct position, the balloons are withdrawn and bone cement is injected, quickly hardening and healing the bone to re-establish the spine's correct height. The result is a more upright posture. The procedure is short and lasts only about one hour, and patients often go home the next day.
People with osteoporosis, most frequently elderly women, are most susceptible to fractures in the spine. Other conditions can weaken bones and create a vertebral fracture, including cancer. If left untreated, pain can linger for years and posture can become stooped, leading to a variety of health complications.
Kyphoplasty is effective in more than 90 percent of patients who suffer from spinal fractures. However, it can't be used in all spinal fractures and can only be performed up to six months after the fracture occurs, making early intervention key.
To learn more, listen to Dr. Karin Swartz discuss kyphoplasty and other minimally invasive surgery options for spinal fractures at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 30 at the W.T. Young Library auditorium on campus at the University of Kentucky, 401 Hilltop Avenue. The event is free, but registration is requested by calling (800) 333-8874.
Swartz is a physician in the UK
HealthCare Kentucky Neuroscience
Institute at UK Chandler Hospital, and is an assistant professor of neurosurgery in the UK College of Medicine.One of these techniques is kyphoplasty, which is used to heal breaks to vertebral bones in the spine. By stabilizing the fracture, kyphoplasty can reduce back pain, restore height and improve spinal alignment.
With kyphoplasty, tiny balloons are inserted into the fracture and inflated to stabilize and re-expand the fracture. Once the bone is back in its correct position, the balloons are withdrawn and bone cement is injected, quickly hardening and healing the bone to re-establish the spine's correct height. The result is a more upright posture. The procedure is short and lasts only about one hour, and patients often go home the next day.
People with osteoporosis, most frequently elderly women, are most susceptible to fractures in the spine. Other conditions can weaken bones and create a vertebral fracture, including cancer. If left untreated, pain can linger for years and posture can become stooped, leading to a variety of health complications.
Kyphoplasty is effective in more than 90 percent of patients who suffer from spinal fractures. However, it can't be used in all spinal fractures and can only be performed up to six months after the fracture occurs, making early intervention key.
To learn more, listen to Dr. Karin Swartz discuss kyphoplasty and other minimally invasive surgery options for spinal fractures at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 30 at the W.T. Young Library auditorium on campus at the University of Kentucky, 401 Hilltop Avenue. The event is free, but registration is requested by calling (800) 333-8874.