Marin General Hospital now offers a minimally invasive procedure to repair spine fractures that significantly reduces back pain, increases mobility and saves the spine from additional fractures and subsequent deformities.

“How good it is to have two legs and be able to use them!” said Lois Nelson of Greenbrae. “Even at 88, you are never too old to improve your health.”

Over 700,000 spinal fractures are reported in the U.S. each year. Women are more likely than men to suffer spinal fractures - 50 percent of women and 25 percent of men older than 50 will have osteoporosis-related spinal fractures.

Osteoporosis affects 10 million Americans and ranks second to cardiovascular disease as a leading healthcare problem. These figures may double in the next 50 years because of the increase in aging population and lifestyle factors, according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation.

MGH Department of Surgery chair Dr. Robert Byers said the new procedure, Balloon Kyphoplasty, is performed through a tiny incision used to insert a small balloon into the fracture.

The balloon is inflated and the fractured bone is restored to a more normal position, Byers explained.

The balloon is then deflated and removed and the surgeon fills the fracture cavity with special cement, he said. The cement forms an internal cast that holds the vertebrae in place.

Kyphoplasty is performed under local or general anesthesia, Byers said. It typically takes less than an hour to treat each fracture and may require an overnight hospital stay.

“With a fracture anywhere else in the body, physicians provided treatment to help correct the alignment of the bone so it would heal properly,” Byers said. “It wasn't being done with the spine and this resulted in additional fractures and deformity. This procedure restores height to the collapsed bone and spinal alignment.”

Spine fractures, called vertebral compression fractures, happen when the thick block of bone at the front of the vertebra in the spine collapses. This causes the spine to shorten and fall forward, resulting in stooped posture.

Most spinal fractures are not caused by accidents, he said. Rather, many are caused by osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become brittle and break easily.

The bones of the spine weaken due to loss of bone mass, which may cause them to collapse into a fracture. Just one spinal fracture places higher than normal stress on other vertebrae and this contributes to the risk of future fractures.

Previously, physicians either didn't treat spinal fractures at all or they treated them conservatively, according to Byers.

“They ordered bed rest, a back brace and pain medication,” he said. “Multiple fractures cause the spine to shorten and angle forward, resulting in a stooped posture that overtime may result in increased risk of suffering serious lung complications.”

Patients should consult with their primary care physician first about bone health and taking a bone density test. Patients should obtain a referral to a trained spine specialist for treatment.