Kyphoplasty & Balloon Vertebroplasty in Palm Coast, FL

A vertebra that has collapsed can be supported from the inside, without open surgery. Kyphoplasty stabilizes the fractured bone itself, which is what addresses the pain a compression fracture generates.

What it treats

This procedure is used for fractures of the vertebral body — the weight-bearing block of bone at the front of each vertebra:

It enters the conversation when a fracture is confirmed as still active on imaging and the pain is severe enough to keep you from standing, walking, or sleeping.

How it works

A compression fracture means the vertebral body has partially collapsed, usually more at the front than the back. The bone is unstable, and movement across that unstable fracture is a major source of pain.

Kyphoplasty works in two stages, both through a narrow instrument passed into the vertebral body under image guidance. First, a small balloon is inserted and carefully inflated inside the bone, creating a cavity and, in many cases, lifting some of the collapsed height back toward its original position. The balloon is then removed, and bone cement is injected to fill the cavity it created. The cement hardens in place, forming an internal support that stabilizes the fracture.

The pain relief that follows comes from that stabilization — the fracture stops moving. How much benefit an individual patient gets varies, and it depends heavily on whether the fracture is still active, which is the question imaging is used to answer.

Dr. Manuel López, a board-certified pain management and rehabilitation physician, performs kyphoplasty under precise image guidance from access through cement placement.

What to expect

Kyphoplasty is performed in a controlled clinical setting.

• Before: you’re positioned face down, and the skin over the fractured level is cleaned and numbed. The procedure is done with local anesthetic and sedation rather than general anesthesia.
• During: guided by imaging, Dr. López passes a narrow instrument into the vertebral body, inflates and removes the balloon, then delivers the cement and confirms its position before finishing.
• After: you’re monitored while the cement sets, and you’ll need someone to drive you home.

Because your bone health and the number of levels involved both shape what comes next, the activity guidance you get will be written for your fracture rather than for the procedure in general.

Is it right for you?

Kyphoplasty is generally considered when:

• Imaging confirms a vertebral compression fracture that is still active
• Pain is significant and hasn’t settled with supportive care
• The pain matches the level of the fracture on examination
• You want to avoid a prolonged period of immobility while the bone stabilizes on its own

It isn’t the right answer for every fracture. Old, healed fractures don’t respond to stabilization, since there’s nothing left moving to stabilize. Active infection, bleeding disorders, and certain fracture patterns that involve the back wall of the vertebral body all need careful review, and some rule the procedure out. Bring your MRI — with this decision, the imaging does much of the talking.

Get your fracture assessed

If sudden back pain has been keeping you off your feet, the question of whether it’s a treatable fracture is worth answering quickly.

Call (386) 222-7746 or request an appointment.