A vertebral fracture occurs when one or more bones in the spine weaken and crumble. A spinal fracture can occur anywhere on the spine causing a dislocation or fracture of the backbone. Many spinal fractures are the result of trauma or an injury from a high-velocity impact such as a fall, sports accident, or car accident.

An accident can cause injuries of varying severity from muscle strains to serious issues such as a vertebral fracture. Spinal fractures also have a range of severity, sometimes they can heal on their own, and others can be managed with noninvasive treatment, while particularly severe or unique cases require surgery to realign the bones.

Untreated spinal fractures can result in nerve damage, permanent spinal cord injury, and paralysis. A compression fracture can also occur when an individual experiences osteoporosis (a loss of bone mass) as a part of aging. As a loss of bone mass develops less serious trauma is necessary to cause a vertebral fracture; it can occur lifting a heavy object, falling, or coughing.

Symptoms of a vertebral fracture include hunched-forward posture, height loss, and severe back pain. Vertebral compressions fractures (VCF) are a serious and frequent problem.

Approximately 700,000 VCFs occur each year, equaling 40 VCFs every thirty minutes. Approximately 25% of men and 50% of women experience an osteoporotic fracture at some point in their lifetime. Fragility fractures are an increasingly growing problem for older adults in America.

Receiving prompt treatment for a fractured vertebrae is imperative. The symptoms can range from discomforting to debilitating including numbness or tingling, pain in the neck or back, paralysis or weakness of the limbs, loss of bowel or urinary control, uncontrolled muscle spasms, and more. If left untreated the condition can worsen.

Fortunately, a treatment based on vertebral augmentation kyphoplasty, or vertebroplasty can significantly reduce pain in most cases. Both vertebral augmentation kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty rely on the use of an injection of a type of medical cement and promote much faster pain relief than alternatives.

The Ramos Center has used the iVAS Inflatable Vertebral Augmentation System for years to great success. The equipment utilized is a component of a portfolio of mixer and delivery systems, cavity formation devices, needles, and bone cement.

A balloon catheter is used to compact and push the bone inside of the fractured vertebra in order to facilitate a controlled delivery of cement into the collapsed vertebrae. When the cement hardens it creates an internal cast stabilizing the fracture and alleviating pain in roughly ninety percent of patients.

In most cases, a vertebral fracture will heal within 8 weeks. However, with the use of vertebral augmentation kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty patients will begin to notice pain relief within 24 to 48 hours following surgery.

Strenuous activity may be advised against for up to a 6-week period, but it won’t take long to get patients back to their usual routine. Patients who elect to undergo this treatment will experience much swifter pain relief than the alternatives as well a quicker time frame where they are able to return to their lives without concern for their injury.

Dr. Fabian Ramos, MD, and his team of medical experts will work with patients to mitigate their pain and maximize their life. Services available at the Ramos Center offer the leading options in interventional and functional pain medicine to give patients the swiftest and most effective pain relief available. Contact us through our website or call our clinic to learn how we can help treat a fractured vertebrae. We serve patients from Bradenton FL, Sarasota FL, Venice FL, Englewood FL, Palmetto FL, Laurel FL, Memphis FL, Port Charlotte FL, Cortez FL, and Dunedin FL.