Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
By Omar Henriquez, M.D.
If you’ve had a compression fracture in one of your vertebrae, then you know how painful it can be. It can make moving difficult due to bone fragments rubbing against each other. For fractures like this, kyphoplasty may be a viable solution.
What Is Kyphoplasty?
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure designed to stop the pain caused by a spinal fracture. The procedure works to stabilize the bone and restore some or all the lost vertebral body height.
Benefits of Kyphoplasty
Kyphoplasty can have numerous benefits. The procedure has been shown to achieve restoration of vertebral body height as well as correction of vertebral body deformity. Additional benefits include:
. Reduction in back pain
. Increased mobility
. Increased ability to perform activities of daily living
. Improved quality of life
. Kyphoplasty Procedure
Before the procedure
Before the kyphoplasty procedure, your doctor will order blood and imaging tests. This will ensure you are healthy to undergo the procedure and will help direct the surgeon to the area or areas in need of repair.
On the day of the procedure, an intravenous line (IV) will be placed in your arm to deliver anesthesia. You may also be given antibiotics to prevent infection.
During the procedure
The procedure usually takes less than one hour. Your surgeon will perform the following steps.
. A tube is inserted through a small incision on the back into the damaged vertebrae.
. A thin catheter with a balloon at the tip is guided into the vertebrae.
. The balloon is inflated which creates a cavity. In this cavity, liquid bone cement is injected.
. The balloon is deflated and removed as the bone cement is injected.
. The liquid bone cement hardens in about 10 minutes.
. The needle is removed, the area is bandaged, and your IV and monitoring equipment are removed.
After the procedure
Following the kyphoplasty procedure, you will rest in a recovery area for a short period of time. Your nurse or doctor may encourage you to get up and walk within an hour of the procedure. You will likely experience some soreness but will probably be able to go home later that day.
Some patients require additional monitoring if their procedure involves more than one vertebra, if there were complications, or if their general health is not optimal.
Kyphoplasty Recovery Time
Most patients can go home the same day as the procedure. You may experience soreness, but you should start feeling better within 48 hours. Your doctor will let you know when you can resume your normal activities. Talk to your doctor about bone-strengthening supplements.
At Family Spine and Pain Care Institute, we want our patients to feel right at home.
From our warm and friendly staff to our most advanced up-to-date medical treatments, we strive to give our patients the highest quality of comprehensive care available. We understand that pain is debilitating, and that it can lead to a vicious cycle of depression, inactivity, fear, and anxiety, which can severely affect the lives of our patients and their loved ones.
No one deserves to live a life of pain. Our goal is to help our patients break the cycle of pain, so you can take back control of your life, and start doing what you love most. Trust, compassion, communication, and care formulate the core foundations of our beliefs. Our team wants each one of our patients to feel like they are part of our family.
Omar Henriquez, M.D.
interventional pain management
Dr. Henriquez is double board certified in Anesthesiology and Interventional Pain Management by the American Board of Anesthesiology.
He is well versed in the use of fluoroscopy and ultrasound guidance to perform many spine and joint procedures such as epidurals, facet blocks, spinal cord stimulators, kyphoplasty for vertebral fractures, nerve blocks, migraine headaches, joint injections, and much more. He is very passionate about the new innovative field of regenerative medicine and has dedicated much of his time to learning and researching the best options out there for his patients.
“The one thing missing in the medical field today is being able to take the time to listen and understand our patients. It is through this process where we can formulate a comprehensive plan to produce the best possible outcomes.”
– Dr. Omar H. Henriquez
Dr. Henriquez is a true Florida native having lived most of his life in Florida. When he is at home he enjoys spending time with his wife and four children, exploring their city, and playing outdoors. They are very excited to have chosen Sarasota County as their home and continue their journey as a family and helping out in the community through charities and fundraisers.
Family Spine and Pain Care Institute
941-237-0050
www.FSAPCARE.com
