Question: What Can I Expect After Kyphoplasty?
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure, and recovering from surgery is generally pretty easy.
Answer:
- Pain generally subsides within 2 weeks of the surgery. Pain is either due to the effect of the procedure on the tissues, or most likely, due to the presence of arthritis. If the pain is due to arthritis, this still must be treated, even after the surgery.
- Physical therapy is not necessary, because the bone cement hardens very quickly and there is little to no healing required after the surgery.
- Function should improve, and quickly.
- Further fractures may well be prevented.
- If you had the surgery soon after the vertebral fracture occured, you stand the best chance of your vertebral height being restored.
- You should be able to go home the day of the surgery
Bibliography
Kyphoplasty. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. July 2005. Retrieved from: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/fact/thr_report.cfm?Thread_ID=470&topcategory=Spine January 26, 2006.
Date Created: January 27, 2006.More Back & Neck Pain Q&A
