Ageing is just not about the number of years but it is also about slow progressive & continuous wearing out of our different bodily structures. This in turn leads to so called old age troubles for example knee pain, back pain, arthritis etc. Our spine is no more an exception & as the age progresses the amount of calcium and the bone quality reduces.This leads to spinal osteoporosis or simply termed as weak bones which are liable to fracture and trivial injury. Spinal fractures due to osteoporosis generally are called unprovoked fractures as they  are known to occur spontaneously (no injury) or with very little trivial trauma.

 

These fractures are extremely painful in nature and lead to very severe back pain in the patient. If these fractures don’t heal with conservative therapy of some time, kyphoplasty comes to rescue and almost gives instant relief in the low back pain and the patient is able to walk almost immediately after the procedure.

 

Symptoms of Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture (OVCF)

 

Osteoporotic compression fractures are known as silent fractures as they generally happen without any history of trauma. Because of osteoporosis, the spine becomes very fragile and patient may experience fracture just by getting up from the bed or by sneezing hard. Whenever this kind of fracture happens there are definite signs and symptoms which one experiences.

 

• Back Pain – patient experiences sudden back pain which is generally very very severe in nature.

• Increase in pain when a patient is trying to change posture for example turning sides or when trying to get out of bed.

• There is an effective loss of height in the patient because of decrease in the height of individual spinal vertebral bones.

• Patients may have pain radiation, which may radiate in circular form around the chest because of irritation of the nerves or in the form of pain going into the legs. 

• There is deformity at the back of the spine .

 

Causes & Risk Factors of Osteoporotic Fractures

 

The underlying reason for all osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures is osteoporosis. This is the reason these factors are also called fragility spinal fractures or silent fractures. decreased bone quality in an individual accounts to various different reasons which in turn in future would account to osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF)

 

The various reasons of  decreased bone quality or osteoporosis can be summarised as below :

 

1. Females : Female as a sex is is almost four times more susceptible to osteoporosis than males.

2. Age : Individuals with age between 50 and 70 have quite a high chance of osteoporosis. however above 70 osteoporosis almost inevitably sets in and there is a chance of osteoporotic fractures in the people.

3. Family History : Individuals with osteoporosis running in their families have higher chances of osteoporosis . 

4. Inactive Lifestyle : Exercise leads to stimulation of the various pathways in the body leading to deposition of calcium in the bones and in turn leads to good health of bones. Inactive Lifestyle as a contrary, leads to natural weakening of bone structure.

5. Smoking : Smoking as multiple studies suggest is a very important factor leading to osteoporosis. It suppresses reaction of protective hormones like estrogen leading to decrease in calcium activity in the bones.

6. Menopause : as the age of the female advances in the menopause happens and leads to decrease level of oestrogen in the female body which in turn leads to Decrease density of bone Matrix inside the bones making the bones weak and osteoporotic. 

 

Kyphoplasty Prevention Method

 

Osteoporosis has multiple risk factors and multiple causes which leads to decreased bone quality.As outlined above many of  these factors are modifiable and many of them are not modifiable. so in order to avoid the complications of osteoporosis we should focus on modifiable risk factors and ensure that we have a good lifestyle with a healthy spine.Let’s discuss some of these modifiable factors.

 

• Calcium & Vitamin D : Research suggests that diets which are inherently deficient in Calcium and Vitamin D leads to osteoporosis. Hence eating foods which are rich in calcium and Vitamin D are recommended as a balanced diet schedule.

• Stop smoking : smoking as we all know is known cause for predisposition of osteoporosis besides being Harsh on lungs.

• Regular Exercise : Exercise stimulates the calcium absorption in the body and also regulates the bone health. Regular exercise is highly encouraged especially in people who are susceptible to osteoporosis or who have a history of sedentary lifestyle in order to avoid decreased bone density. 

• Avoid Alcohol : Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol is also known to Hamper the normal body supply of calcium and in turn, predisposing osteoporosis.

• Osteoporosis Treatment : If you have a proven osteoporosis you should probably get treated for it by considering a visit to your physician or a spine doctor. 

 

Complications in Kyphoplasty Surgery

 

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures can generally be managed with conservative therapy which includes rest, protective Bracing, calcium & Vitamin D supplements.  However in some cases patients may land into complications because of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.

 

1. Severe pain radiation leading to numbness &  radiation in lower Limbs chest or power loss.

2. multiple fractures leading to Extreme pain in the spine and not even being able to turn sides.

3. Despite good conservative therapy some fractures are known to go into nonunion that is they do not unite even with therapy and may require procedures like Kyphoplasty and/or surgery.

 

Kyphoplasty Treatment

 

Treatment of vertebral fractures generally  start with some pain Killers rest and some support braces. However if these strategies fail or if the symptoms progress patients may require procedures Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty.

 

What is Kyphoplasty and why kyphoplasty is needed for management of the vertebral fracture?

 

Kyphoplasty : Kyphoplasty Is a procedure in which a patient is positioned with back up and with the help of local anaesthesia the skin around the fracture site is anaesthetised. Now with the help Video X Ray facility a needle is inserted into the fractured Spine bone. Now a balloon (called as kyphoplasty balloon ) is inflated inside the bone which leads to Re gaining of the height of the fractured vertebra.

 

Then special bone cement is introduced inside the spine which sets up in a few minutes giving very strong support to the spine. This leads to the fixing of the fracture and the patient becomes pain free and is able to walk just a short time after the procedure. considering the latest technology advances kyphoplasty is a very safe procedure and can be performed without giving Gen. anaesthesia. Recovery from Kyphoplasty is very fast as there are no big cuts involved and the procedure is done with the help of single stitch only. Most of the patients are discharged the same day.

 

Kyphoplasty Surgery is in reality not a surgery but a procedure. With current technology Kyphoplasty surgery recovery is very fast and reliable.Kyphoplasty surgery success rate as compared to vertebroplasty is high as the former has less complications.