Vertebroplasty

Suffering from the effects of chronic and neurological pain disorders can prevent you from maximizing the potential of your life. With the help of a certified back specialist, you can finally assess the root causes of your chronic pain, and begin a pain management treatment regimen to eliminate your pain and finally get back to doing what you love most: living your life to the fullest!

Damage to spinal vertebrae can cause debilitating pain and impaired mobility; it can result from injury, disease, or stress. When the bone in the vertebral body has been damaged due to cancer, epidural injections can promote temporary relief. When these types of non-surgical temporary alleviators lose their effectiveness, however, a vertebroplasty may be the best course of action. Vertebroplasty is a minimally-invasive procedure aimed at repairing injured or weak vertebrae, improving the quality of life for suffering patients. Vertebroplasty can be used to stabilize the spine, provide relief from chronic back pain, or as a preventative measure to avoid further back pain, weakening, and damage.

A local anesthetic is applied to the incision site. Through the small incision, a dilator tube is inserted toward the affected vertebra. The surgeon's insertion of the dilator tube is guided by x-ray, assuring proper location. A biopsy is then taken for study of the diseased or damaged bone: needles are inserted through the dilator tube and samples of the bone tissue are extracted.

To stabilize the fractured or weakened vertebra, bone cement is injected into the damaged tissue. This creates a type of "internal cast" that repairs the damaged vertebra. The tube is then removed from the vertebra and the incision is closed, completing the procedure.

Recovery from a Vertebroplasty procedure involves little more than tending to the slight discomfort at the incision site. For most patients, mobility and comfort should be immediately improved as the condition of the vertebra is stable and normal.