Balloon kyphoplasty relieves year-long back pain of 75-year-old Thane woman with spinal fracture

A 75-year-old woman in Thane suffered constant pain in the middle and lower back for about a year. It began after a minor fall. She had no major injury, yet the pain would not go away and began to affect her daily activities.

Tests and imaging showed that she had an osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) in the L2 vertebra of her spine. When the bones of the spine weaken, they can collapse or lose height, and this causes a vertebral compression fracture. Osteoporosis is one of the most common causes. Such fractures can occur even after a minor injury that would not harm a healthy spine.

The patient was examined at KIMS Hospitals. Dr Amogh Zawar, consultant spine surgery specialist in Thane, advised minimally invasive spine surgery to stabilise the broken vertebra.

The woman then underwent balloon kyphoplasty, a modern spine surgery. The technique aims to give stability to the fractured bone and help restore some of the lost height. A small channel is made through the skin and a special balloon is inserted into the fractured bone. The balloon is carefully inflated to create space, which helps restore the bone's shape. Once the necessary correction is achieved, the balloon is removed and medical bone cement is filled in to hold the bone in place.

The entire procedure was completed in about 30 minutes under local anaesthesia. It was done through an opening as small as a needle, so no stitches were needed. The patient was able to go home the same day.

Speaking about the case, Dr Zawar said, "A spinal fracture caused by osteoporosis can often go unnoticed, especially when it follows a seemingly minor fall. Persistent back pain in an elderly person should not be dismissed as ordinary pain due to age alone. In this patient's case, imaging helped identify the spinal fracture, and the root of the pain could be addressed in a minimally invasive way."

Dr Zawar also said, "Balloon kyphoplasty gives mechanical stability to a fractured spine and can help restore its height. The procedure is done through a very small opening, so properly selected patients can benefit from a shorter procedure and an earlier return to walking. But this procedure treats the fracture. To reduce the risk of further fractures, the underlying disease, osteoporosis, must also be treated."

The patient was monitored after the procedure. Medical treatment for osteoporosis was also continued to strengthen her bones and lower the risk of further fractures. According to the doctor, osteoporosis shows no clear symptoms until a fracture occurs, so the disease often goes undetected. In the elderly, sudden or persistent back pain after a minor fall, a change in body shape or height, or difficulty in walking calls for a medical check-up.

The case shows that spinal fractures in elderly patients should not be viewed only as a matter of reducing pain; the cause behind them must also be treated. According to the doctor, stabilising a fractured spine can relieve the immediate problem, but proper treatment of osteoporosis is essential to protect the spine and the rest of the skeleton over the long term.