Spine Fracture

A spine fracture, also called a vertebral compression fracture, is a painful injury that affects your mobility and quality of life. At RIA Endovascular in Greenwood Village and Windsor, Colorado, the board-certified interventional radiologists perform vertebral augmentation to treat spine fractures. This minimally invasive procedure provides significant improvement in pain and mobility right away. For cutting-edge spine fracture care, call today or schedule a consultation online.

Is a broken back the same as a spine fracture?

A spine fracture is sometimes called a broken back. This type of fracture means you have a break in a vertebral bone in the spine. 

A spine fracture may occur in any part of the spine, but it most often affects the thoracic (mid-back) or lumbar (lower back) spine. These types of fractures vary, but many people with this type of break have a compression fracture in which the bony body of the vertebral bone collapses.

What causes a spine fracture?

Spine fractures may occur from a traumatic injury such as a bad fall or car accident. However, most fractures in the spine occur in people who have osteoporosis, a bone disease that makes the bones weak and brittle.

People with osteoporosis develop spine fractures doing everyday activities that put pressure on the spine. These actions can include walking down the stairs or picking up a heavy bag off the floor. 

Patients with cancer and people who take steroids to treat a chronic medical condition are also at risk of osteoporosis and spine fractures. 

What are the treatments for a spine fracture?

Treatment for a spine fracture depends on the cause and location. Bracing and physical therapy are common conservative treatments for spine fractures. 

RIA Endovascular offers vertebral augmentation for spine fractures. Vertebral augmentation is a minimally invasive procedure that uses orthopedic cement to stabilize the broken bone.

The board-certified interventional radiologists at RIA Endovascular use a special needle to inject the cement into the bone after using a balloon to create space. Or, they may use a SpineJack®, an innovative surgical device made by Stryker®, to restore the shape of the vertebral body before injecting the cement.

Following vertebral augmentation, RIA Endovascular recommends patients undergo medical treatment for low bone density to reduce the risk of future fractures. 

What can I expect after vertebral augmentation for a spine fracture?

Though results vary, you may experience a 50% reduction in pain following vertebral augmentation immediately after the procedure. You should continue to experience improvements in pain over the next few weeks.

The interventional radiologists at RIA Endovascular encourage a gradual increase in physical activity following the procedure, but you need to avoid heavy lifting. 

Find out more about spine fracture care at RIA Endovascular by calling or scheduling a consultation online today.