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Spinal fracture treatment a key in prevention
(The Brunswick News Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 8--With an increasing elderly population in America, osteoporosis poses a major threat for an estimated 44 million people.
The National Osteoporosis Foundation estimated 10 million individuals in the United States have the disease, almost 34 million more may have low bone mass, placing them at increased risk for osteoporosis.
Not only does osteoporosis cause back pain and stooped posture, it also causes more then 700,000 spinal fractures each year in the United States -- more than twice the annual number of hip fractures.
According to neurosurgeon Dr. Susanne Fix, a single untreated spinal fracture can result in more fractures. Multiple fractures can lead to kyphosis or a rounded back the compression of the chest and abdominal cavity signified by a "dowager's hump."
Severe cases can affect the lungs, nerves and other tissues and organs causing pain among other problems.
While in the past there wasn't much that could be done for a spinal fracture, two minimally invasive procedures are now available--kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty.
"If someone gets a break and it isn't stabilized, chances are they are going to break something else," says Fix, who performs both procedures at Southeast Georgia Health System's Brunswick Campus.
Fix, who will speak tonight on spinal fractures and both surgeries at the Health System Brunswick Campus, said the surgeries are chosen on a patient to patient basis depending on their fractures.
"Both kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty are very safe, quick procedures, and both involve injecting bone cement into the vertebrae to stabilize fractures," Fix said.
As a rule, both procedures take one hour for each vertebra that is treated, Fix said, and most patients see a significant decrease in pain as soon as they wake up from the anesthesia.
Fix also noted that the surgeries are not limited to osteoporosis patients and can work for patients with spinal fractures caused by cancer or severe trauma.
"Both procedures can significantly reduce pain, increase the patient's quality of life and ability to perform daily living activities," Fix says. "Both procedures also have low complication rates and Kyphoplasty has been shown to lesson vertebral deformity in some patients."
To see more of The Brunswick News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Brunswick News, Ga.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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