Compression Fracture Treatment in Kansas City

Prior to surgery, you will typically receive at least two phone calls:

• A hospital registration representative will call to gather insurance and other personal information.
• A registered nurse will call to review your health history and medication information.

Dependent on your health history, your physician may require:

• Pre-surgical laboratory tests
• X-rays
• Primary care clearance

Pre-operative instructions will vary depending on your physician and the location of your surgery.

Always check with your physician prior to surgery for his or her specific instructions.

Most physicians require that patients do not eat or drink after midnight prior to surgery.

Additionally, you will need to designate a family member or friend to drive you home on the day you are released from the hospital. Surgical patients cannot drive themselves home.

If you schedule your surgery at KCOI, you can expect the following on surgery day:

• A receptionist will check you in on the second floor at the hospital registration desk.
• A nurse will take you back and prepare you for surgery. He or she will start an IV, prepare the surgical site, and review your medical history and medications.
• Your surgeon and anesthesiologist will visit with you prior to your operation.
• The surgical team will take you to the operation suite for surgery.

If conservative measures fail, then surgical intervention may be the best alternative solution. Advances in modern technology have made compression fracture surgeries less invasive without compromising quality care.

Kansas City Orthopedic Alliance offers osteoplasty procedures aimed to stabilize compression fractures for pain management—vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty.

Your surgery will be slightly different based on whether you receive a vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty. Both surgeries are typically performed using IV sedation and last around 30 minutes. 

During a vertebroplasty, your surgeon will insert a biopsy needle, called a trocar, through the fractured bone rather than creating a large incision.

From there, an acrylic bone cement is injected into the damaged vertebrae to essentially “glue” the fractured pieces together. Since the cement hardens quickly, the vertebrae fragments also congeal quickly to stabilize the spine. 

Kyphoplasty procedures work similarly, except the technique requires a balloon.

Using the trocar, your surgeon places and inflates the balloon through the fractured bone.

This often causes the fracture to open to its normal height.

Once your surgeon deflates and removes the balloon, he or she will use the same cementation process to fill in the bone.

Once surgery is complete, you can expect:

• Our team will help you to the post-anesthesia area. A nurse will monitor your vital signs and assess your pain level.
• Once the nurse has determined you are stable and alert, we will transfer you to a speciality patient room where you can begin your recovery.

Since surgical compression fracture treatment is often outpatient, once you are cleared, you are free to finish the recovery process in the comfort of your own home.

Directly following your procedure, you will likely still experience back pain from the needle.

After several hours, that spine pain should resolve.

Most patients return to their normal life without too many restrictions after recovering from surgery.

However, you may have to wait several weeks before you can participate in more strenuous activities such as weight lifting or sports.