Patients answered questions about their level of pain and physical and mental functions several hours before and two weeks after the procedure. 24 patients reported significant and durable pain relief two weeks after having vertebroplasty. The procedure takes less than an hour and the patient receives only mild sedation. None of the patients in the study had gotten better with conventional therapy consisting of bed rest and pain relievers. Ten million Americans have osteoporosis, a disease that causes 700,000 vertebral fractures annually, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
Osteoporosis causes bones to become more fragile and break easier.
It is a disease that leads to more than twice the number of vertebral fractures as hip fractures. Those most at risk of osteoporosis are women over age 50 or individuals taking certain drugs such as steroids that accelerate bone mineral loss.