Vertebral compression fractures are one of the most undertreated pain problems in older adults. They often occur without a fall or identifiable injury — from the ordinary load of standing and walking on a vertebra that osteoporosis has made structurally insufficient.
My Inspira doctor found a compression fracture on imaging — what happens next?
We begin with a spine-specific evaluation to confirm the fracture, determine its age and severity, and assess whether you are a candidate for kyphoplasty. We review your MRI for signs of fracture acuity, measure the degree of vertebral height loss, and assess whether height restoration is still possible. If kyphoplasty is appropriate, we can schedule the procedure at Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill and coordinate pre-procedural clearance with your Inspira primary care team.
Is kyphoplasty done at the Inspira campus?
Yes. Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty procedures at our Mullica Hill location are performed at Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill. For patients who are already part of the Inspira Health Network, this means your procedure is performed in a facility connected to your existing medical records, and your Inspira providers can follow your recovery within the same system.
How quickly does pain improve after kyphoplasty?
Most patients experience meaningful pain relief within twenty-four to forty-eight hours. The compression fracture, which was the source of significant positional pain — pain that worsened with standing and walking and improved with lying down — is stabilized, and the pain pattern typically improves dramatically. Some patients are largely pain-free within a day of the procedure; others improve over the first one to two weeks as soft tissue healing continues.
Does kyphoplasty fix osteoporosis?
No — and this is an important distinction. Kyphoplasty stabilizes the fractured vertebra and addresses the pain it is causing, but the underlying bone density that allowed the fracture to occur remains unchanged. Every patient who undergoes kyphoplasty should be evaluated for osteoporosis treatment. We coordinate that recommendation with your Inspira primary care physician or appropriate specialist to ensure the underlying bone quality problem is addressed and future fractures are prevented.
Will I lose height permanently from a compression fracture?
Some height loss may be permanent, particularly if the fracture has been present for weeks or months before kyphoplasty is performed — the vertebra may have consolidated in a collapsed position. Kyphoplasty is most effective at restoring height when performed within the first six to eight weeks of the fracture, while the bone is still mobile enough to respond to the balloon inflation. This is one reason that early evaluation is valuable: the window for height restoration closes as the fracture heals in a collapsed configuration.
