Body Area: Back / Spine

Body Parts: Lower Spine

Symptoms: Pain

Description:
For a vertebroplasty, bone cement is injected into a vertebra with a compression fracture, or into one that has collapsed. Stabilizing the spine may provide pain relief. Vertebroplasties are usually only used for patients with specific chronic back pain from a compression fracture, as there are other methods available for treating compression fractures in the spine in general. A consultation with a spine surgeon is usually recommended prior to this treatment to examine other surgical options now available. A vertebroplasty is less invasive that most spine surgeries, which is sometimes why it is preferred.