Vertebral Compression Fractures (VCF) of the spine, which can be painful and limit spine mobility, are commonly caused by osteoporosis, spinal tumors, and traumatic injury. Traditional treatments of bed rest, pain medication, and braces are slow to relieve the pain. By injecting bone cement into the fractured bone and restoring the vertebra height, these procedures offer patients faster recovery and reduce the risk of future fractures in the treated bone. Previous treatments consisted of conservatively monitoring the patient and managing pain symptoms. To promote optimal outcome it is recommended to complete vertebral augmentation like vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty as early as the first week after the VCF has occured.

Vertebral Augmentation like Vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty may be a treatment option if you have painful vertebral compression fractures from:

• Osteoporosis (a depletion of calcium in bones)
• Metastatic tumor (cancer spread from another area)
• Multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow)
• Vertebral hemangioma (benign vascular tumor)
• Traumatic Injury

Traditional treatment used to involve waiting 4 to 6 weeks to see if patients improved on their own, but now it’s believed that waiting allows the bone to harden, making vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty less effective. Many doctors are now suggesting vertebroplasty as soon as the first week after a fracture for some patients because the results are significantly better.