Kyphoplasty

Kyphoplasty

We’ll fix your fracture and stop the pain now.

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Vertebral Compression Fractures

Compression fractures of the spine can be excruciatingly painful, have devastating health consequences, and lead to permanent deformity of the spine. It's not uncommon for patients to wait weeks or months before receiving effective treatment. We seek to break down the barriers to care by making your recovery priority number one. We offer a procedure called "kyphoplasty" which stabilizes the fractured bone and alleviates pain very quickly. The procedure is similar to a dental filling, and can be safely performed in our office in about an hour under local anesthesia with mild sedation.

Experience Counts

Dr. Littlejohn is one of the most experienced doctors in the state having performed more than 300 kyphoplasty procedures. More than 75% of his patients experience at least 50% improvement in pain within a week, and 50% experience 75-100% relief. Pain relief is only one of the benefits of kyphoplasty. By treating the vertebra, further collapse is prevented, helping to maintain the natural contour of the spine. Untreated, compression fractures can lead to permanent kyphosis.

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Frequently Asked Questions
A compression fracture is a collapse of the structure of a vertebral bone. Most commonly this happens in a "wedge" type pattern where the front wall breaks down, but the back wall remains intact. This causes the spine to curve forward (kyphosis). Compression fractures are most common in osteoporosis, but can happen from trauma, like a fall, or from cancer.
Most commonly, patients are treated with watchful waiting, pain medications, bracing, PT, and drugs to improve bone density. Other treatment options include kyphoplasty, or surgery.
It's a procedure performed with specialized needles through the skin. A balloon is inserted into the vertebra, and is used to reshape the fractured bone. The reshaped vertebra is then injected with plastic bone cement to stabilize the fracture. The procedure is done under local anesthesia with light sedation, and takes about an hour. Pain relief can be immediate, or within a few days to a week.
Anyone who has poor bone density, and a compression fracture that is active based on the appearance on MRI or bone scan imaging. Most fractures can be treated, regardless of severity. Patients on blood thinners need approval from the prescribing doctor to temporarily stop taking them.
Much quicker pain relief, avoidance of strong pain medications, and preservation or even restoration of vertebral bone shape and height. Untreated fractures can continue to collapse.
The risks include bleeding, infection, nerve injuries, a dropped lung (pneumothorax), and cement leakage into surrounding tissues, or remotely via the bloodstream to the heart and lungs. In practice, these risks are all quite rare and controllable. Dr. Littlejohn has had no serious complications of kyphoplasty in over 400 cases.
We work hard to expedite the care of anyone having a compression fracture. In general, we can do it as quickly as the medical system (insurance, imaging, etc) will allow. It could be as soon as the same day you are seen, or longer depending on what needs to happen prior to the procedure.


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