Older people with soft or brittle bones - osteoporosis - sometimes fracture or collapse one or more vertebrae in their spine. This causes back pain and a "hunchback" appearance that get worse as time goes on. Certain forms of cancer also weaken the vertebrae and cause the same problems.
Osteoporosis is the most common bone disease in developed countries. It results in low bone mass causing a deterioration of the structure of bones. This deterioration can weaken your bones so much that you can fractures with trivial injury. Every day activities, such as lifting a bag of groceries or rolling over in bed, can result in a fracture. Most symptoms settle within a few weeks however some patients experience prolonged severe pain.
The wrists, hips and spine are at greatest risk of damage from osteoporosis-related fractures and often these fractures may be the first of osteoporosis. 80% patients are women.
A relatively new treatment for these conditions is a type of spinal surgery called "kyphoplasty".
This is done through two small incisions in the back. Tubes are inserted through these openings under X-Ray control, and then tiny balloons are pushed through the tubes into the fractured vertebrae. When the balloons are in place, they are gently inflated. This pushes the bones back toward their normal height and shape. Pushing the vertebrae up leaves cavities within the bones which are then filled with cement. The tubes are removed as soon as the cement has hardened.
After kyphoplasty, you will not have any restrictions on what you can do. You are encouraged to resume all your normal activities as soon as possible.
This is a new treatment which was approved in the UK only this year. Early results on other patients have shown that kyphoplasty is a safe and effective method of reconstructing and stabilizing collapsed vertebrae in the spine resulting from osteoporosis or cancerous tumours. Most patients have excellent pain relief and straighter backs which prevents further fractures.
A few patients complain of persistent pain after kyphoplasty. Sometimes the area is painful because several levels may be involved or there may be a background of degenerative disease. With these patients, the usual treatment is medication and an ongoing exercise program.
For the best results, kyphoplasty should be performed as soon as possible after spinal bone collapse or fracture. The results are less predictable in older fractures but in certain circumstances may still be beneficial