“There has never been anything that could be done for these patients except manage their pain with medication. Balloon Kyphoplasty is a truly significant advance in patient care. Patients may experience remarkable pain relief and improved quality of life,” says Dr. Reginald Q. Knight, associate professor of Orthopaedics and chief of the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at Creighton University Medical Center at Saint Joseph Hospital.

The goal of Balloon Kyphoplasty is to provide rapid pain relief, stabilize the fracture and help straighten the spine. This procedure is minimally invasive, requiring just a small incision and an orthopaedic balloon, called KyphX™ Inflatable Bone Tamp. The balloon is inserted inside the fracture and inflated, raising the collapsed bone and helping to straighten the spine. Once the balloon is removed, the cavity within the bone is filled with an internal cast material that hold the repaired bone in place.

The procedure has several advantages for most patients including immediate pain relief, reduction in spinal deformity and a quicker return to daily activities. Dr. Knight notes that there are many advantages to Kyphoplasty over traditional treatments such as pain medication and back braces that do not repair the fracture and do not always elieviate the pain. The relatively small incision only requires one hour per fracture treated, can be preformed under local or general anesthesia and may require only a one day hospital stay. This treatment method is appropriate for the elderly and osteoporotic patients.

It is important that these fractures are treated immediately after they occur. The sooner the fracture is treated, the sooner the pain relief may be achieved and the more likely the fractured bone can be restored, helping to straighten the spine. Dr. Knight and Saint Joseph Hospital are working with primary care physicians and emergency room doctors to diagnose these fractures at any early stage.

For more information, call the Division of Orthopaedic Surgery at (402) 280-4342.