Duration of surgery for vertebral fracture
The duration of surgery for a vertebral fracture varies from procedure to procedure. It depends on the type of procedure and the extent of damage. Vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty, which are minimally invasive procedures, take between 30 and 60 minutes.
These procedures are used for stable fractures that show pain despite conservative therapy. In the so-called kyphoplasty, the vertebrae are straightened with the help of a balloon and filled with bone cement for stabilization. A so-called vertebroplasty is the sole filling with bone cement without prior straightening. Other operations used to treat vertebral fractures, such as spondylodesis or other osteosynthetic, i.e. surgical bone stabilization procedures, can last up to several hours, depending on how complicated the fracture is.
Duration of pain after a vertebral fracture
A fractured vertebra can be an extremely painful affair. There may be a pressure pain over the affected vertebra, but also a knocking and compression pain can be provoked. Whether and to what extent pain is pronounced also depends on the type of fracture and the cause.
Vertebral fractures are particularly common in car accidents or falls. Since surrounding tissue such as the muscles and soft tissues are usually also damaged, pain is not uncommon. However, vertebral fractures can also occur in the context of a so-called pathological fracture.
Causes include bone tumors or osteoporosis. In these cases, the fracture can also be relatively symptom-free or painless. The duration of the pain is therefore difficult to estimate.
The type of fracture, other concomitant injuries and the type of therapy are relevant. Stable fractures in particular often present very little symptom and can be treated conservatively, i.e. without surgery. However, there are also stable fractures, e.g.
in osteoporosis, i.e. a reduction in bone density, which present themselves with persistent pain so that surgery may also be necessary. Unstable fractures require surgery, so that pain can last for several weeks. This is pain caused by the fracture and pain caused by the operation.
However, an appropriate pain therapy is used to keep the pain as low as possible. It is therefore difficult to estimate from a distance how long the pain will last in case of a vertebral fracture. There are fractures that hardly hurt at all, and others where pain can be expected for up to several weeks.An accurate assessment results from the exact diagnosis and can be made by the treating orthopedist.
