Breaking The Gravity Of Back Pain

Jordan Pysz / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Juan was in intolerable pain after fracturing a vertebra in a fall. He opted to undergo a kyphoplasty and experienced
immediate relief. “About two days later, I was back in the gym exercising,” he reports.

During the 30-year space shuttle era, NASA’s fleet of reusable spacecraft flew 135 missions in which crew members repaired satellites, performed research and helped build the International Space Station.

Juan A. Santos was instrumental in the program’s success. For 25 years, he worked at Kennedy Space Center as a propelling pneumatic technician.

“I handled the fuel and everything for the rockets and shuttles,” Juan recounts. “I also supported the infusion of the oxygen and hydrogen that are used for propulsion.”

Juan retired in 2012 and since then he has been slowed a bit a chronic lung condition. Recently, he was slowed further by a back injury suffered during a bad fall.

“I was getting out of my truck, fell and hit the driveway really hard and immediately felt the pain,” Juan says. “It got really bad a couple of days later, and every time I put pressure on my left foot or tried to exercise I felt that pain.

“Even going to the bathroom would make my back hurt. Under stress, the pain was about an eight on a scale of one to 10.”

When Juan could no longer tolerate the pain, he visited a nearby emergency room, where he was diagnosed with a vertebral compression fracture.

A vertebral compression fracture occurs when a bone (vertebra) collapses in the spine. The collapse can lead to severe pain, spinal deformity or even a loss of height.

The ER physician suggested that Juan schedule a follow-up visit with his primary care provider. During that visit, the doctor recommended that Juan make an appointment with Harold J. Cordner, MD of Florida Pain Management Associates.

Treatment Options

As part of his physical assessment of Juan, Dr. Cordner ordered an MRI that confirmed the spinal fracture and helped Dr. Cordner create a treatment plan.

“There are several options for treating spinal fractures, including leaving them alone because they can eventually heal on their own, but that can take months,” the doctor contends. “Another option is to put the patient in a back brace that immobilizes the spine. Or I can perform a minimally invasive procedure called kyphoplasty.”

During kyphoplasty, a physician places a needle into the bone at the site of the break and inserts a device to create a channel, or cavity, within the bone. The physician then injects a special cement, which fills the cavity and hardens in 10 to 20 minutes.

Dr. Cordner notes that patients suffering with spinal fractures commonly go to a hospital or primary care physician for treatment and are typically placed on bed rest or referred to a rehabilitation facility, where they may begin physical therapy.

“Actually, it’s counterintuitive to send people with fractures in their spines to physical therapy,” Dr. Cordner observes. “That’s really the last thing you want to do.

“If a patient had a broken leg, you wouldn’t have him or her walking on that leg or doing exercises because the leg has a fracture and it needs to be immobilized to heal.

“For the same reason, the spine with a fracture needs to be immobilized. Unfortunately, a back brace is not going to fully immobilize the spine because the patient is still bearing weight on it.

“And bed rest is not a good option because extended bed rest inhibits bone growth. You don’t want the patient just lying down, but you can’t have them exercising, either. It has always been a dilemma.

“That’s why kyphoplasty is an excellent solution. It immobilizes the spine from within and enables patients to function and be active. And movement promotes the formation of new bone. That’s why I recommended kyphoplasty for Mr. Santos.”

One advantage of kyphoplasty is that it works quickly, which alleviates the need for patients to suffer for months while waiting for the fracture to heal.

“More than 90 percent of all patients achieve good to excellent pain relief within 24 to 48 hours of undergoing a kyphoplasty,” Dr. Cordner notes. “Patients can then quickly return to their activities of daily living, and they don’t need to wear a back brace.

“Of all the procedures we offer, kyphoplasty is probably the most successful. It gets patients as close to 100 percent as medically possible. It is a very rewarding procedure to perform because patients with spinal fractures are typically in agony, and almost immediately afterward, they feel relief and can move without discomfort.”

Pain Level: Zero

Juan agreed to undergo the minimally invasive surgery and quickly became proof of its effectiveness.

“The procedure didn’t take long at all, and I got immediate pain relief from it,” he says. “About two days later, I was back in the gym exercising, and my back didn’t hurt anymore. In fact, I haven’t had any back pain since I had the procedure.

“My pain level is now zero, and I’m doing all of the therapy and exercises that were prescribed by Dr. Cordner.

“And now, when I put weight on my left side, I don’t feel anything. The procedure took the pain away, and I haven’t had any more problems with my back.”

Juan is equally pleased with his experience at Florida Pain Management Associates.

“Dr. Cordner’s office is a really good place,” he enthuses. “Everybody is very friendly and knows what they’re doing. And he’s a very knowledgeable doctor. I definitely recommend Dr. Cordner and his procedure because it worked for me 100 percent.”