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Relieving the Pain of Vertical Compression Fractures

As our population continues to get older, there are all kinds of physical symptoms that present themselves. One common condition that is prevalent in people who get older is osteoporosis.  This is a condition where your bones actually start to thin out. A vertical compression fracture  is an injury where part of or all of the bones around the spine collapse, often caused by this condition called osteoporosis.

There are other causes that can weaken and thin out your bones. It could be direct trauma to your spine, cancer or something that happened in an auto accident.

If you are experiencing any severe spinal pain that is debilitating in nature or a eight week period of time, your doctor might recommend kyphoplasty. This is a procedure that is designed to stabilize the bone, maintain the height of the vertebrae and eliminate any present pain.  To experience the best chance for full rehabilitation and recovery, kyphoplasty should take place typically within eight weeks when the initial fracture took place.

This kind of surgery is really quite simple. You lie down on the table and receive a general anesthetic in the area where the surgery will take place is cleaned. The surgeon will make a small incision in your back and they will put a narrow tube into the spinal bones that is fractured. They will then use a special balloon that is threaded through the tube And into the vertebrae and slowly inflate to elevate the level of the fracture.

What’s the balloon gets removed, the surgeon will remove the two and inject a material called polymethylmethacrylate.   Procedure is completed work there are other compression fractures present.

After your surgery is complete, your doctor will prescribe a physical therapy program that is designed to help strengthen your back muscles while stabilizing your back and increasing your overall flexibility in an effort to avoid osteoporosis in the future.  Physical therapy is a great rehabilitation regimen that we have been doing since 2004.

If you are looking for a Wyckoff physical therapy clinic, please give us a call today

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann

Tom Willemann is a premier physical therapist based out of Bergen County, New Jersey. He holds an MS in physical therapy from the University of Miami, is credentialed in the world-renowned McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT), and holds an OCS (Orthopedic Clinical Specialist) certification. As of 2018, there are approximately 14,000 ABPTS certified specialists in the nation and less than 400 of them are located in the state of New Jersey. Tom is the owner and director of Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation in Paramus. He opened the clinic, which specializes in spine and sports injury prevention, in 2004 after many years of experience in the field. Tom’s caring interest in others and his strong belief in continuity of care, combined with his clinic’s ability to find solutions for the most difficult orthopedic problems, have earned Apex Orthopedic Rehabilitation its excellent reputation with patients and medical professionals in northeastern New Jersey and beyond. A true “family man,” Tom takes pride in his clinic’s warm and welcoming environment.
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