A compression fracture is when a bone in your spine breaks due to excessive or persistent force. This could be from something as simple as coughing or sneezing hard, to suffering a fall or car accident. Symptoms usually include pain that gets worse when sitting or standing for long periods and can even radiate down into your legs.
There are several different treatment options available from your pain specialist Los Angeles depending on the severity of your compression fracture. The goal of treatment is to relieve pain and help you return to your normal activities. There are both surgical and non-surgical treatments available for patients who are experiencing a compression fracture.
Non-Surgical Treatment Options
For fractures that are not as severe or patients who are looking for a non-surgical alternative, there are still several effective treatment options available. Here are just a few non-surgical spinal fracture treatments offered by your lower back pain doctor near me.
Pain Medication
Over-the-counter options like ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help with the pain associated with a compression fracture. If these don’t provide enough relief, your pain specialist Los Angeles may prescribe stronger medication.
Rest
It’s important to give your body time to heal, so avoid activities that put stress on your back. This means no heavy lifting, bending, or twisting. Taking frequent rest breaks throughout the day can also help alleviate pain.
Bracing
Wearing a back brace provided by your can help support your spine and take some of the pressure off of the broken bone while it heals. Your lower back pain doctor near me will let you know how long you need to wear the brace.
Surgical Treatment Options
If your compression fracture is severe, or if non-surgical spinal fracture treatment options haven’t provided relief, surgery may be recommended. The most common type of surgery for this condition is called kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty.
In kyphoplasty, a small balloon is inserted into the broken bone by your pain specialist Los Angeles and inflated. This creates a cavity inside the bone which is then filled with a cement-like material. This helps support the bone and improve alignment. Vertebroplasty is similar, but doesn’t involve inflating a balloon first – the cement is injected directly into the cavity in the bone.
Both kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty are minimally invasive procedures that are performed under sedation or general anesthesia on an outpatient basis. Recovery time is generally short, with most people being able to return home the same day as their procedure.
Percutaneous vertebral augmentation (PVA) is another surgical option that may be recommended in some cases. In PVA, metal rods or screws are inserted into the vertebrae on either side of the compression fracture to stabilize it while it heals. A metal cage may also be placed around the rods to provide additional stability. As with kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty, PVA is minimally invasive and usually performed on an outpatient basis.
Interventional Pain Doctors | Pain Specialist Los Angeles
If you’ve suffered a compression fracture, there are several different spinal fracture treatment options available depending on the severity of your injury. From surgical to non-surgical treatments, your pain specialist Los Angeles from Interventional Pain Doctors is dedicated to ensuring you get the care you need to live a pain-free life. For more information about our services, please visit our website.