The procedure is done on people with spinal fractures, a break in the bone that can be debilitating. It's often performed on an out-patient basis and many people get almost immediate relief.
Imagine constant pain so severe it changes your life. That's what many people who've fractured vertebrae live with every day. From car wrecks to osteoporosis to cancer, the fractures can be caused by many things but there wasn't much out there to help people. Doctors now have a way to fill their patients' pain relief needs.
A balloon kyphoplasty is a non-surgical, procedure. Four needles are inserted into a patient's back, creating a small pathway to the fractures. Orthopedic balloons are then inserted and inflated. Then cement fills the opened area.
Patients are well enough to leave just two hours after the procedure, pain free. Full recovery is usually less than ten days.
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