Kyphoplasty can be like magic!!
But it only works for fractures. It basically glues the pieces together.
It will not do anything for spinal stenosis.
There are some other procedures that can help with spinal stenosis- but most are more major than kyphoplasty.
gary

Thanks Gary
I feel fortunate that my kyphoplasty surgery worked out great.
I'm 11 days in and everything feels better each day.

Compared to a month ago or more....it's like night to day. I'm very pleased.

stenosis & curve
 

Thank you all for the comments. PP People are a wealth of information! I'm seeing my MD later in March and will request treatment.

^^^ Good luck to you...keep us posted.

This is fantastic news! I'm glad that things went well and you are feeling so much better! The Turtle King is back on the throne!

^^^ Thanks...it's great to feel like normal again. Makes a person really appreciate having good health.

There are dozens, likely hundreds of problems that can cause back pain.
Kyphoplasty helps with just one of them. When it is appropriate it can be like magic!
But it has to be the right type of fracture at a level that kypho is appropriate. The fracture also has to be acute/subacute.
The multitude of other causes of back pain are not helped at all by a kyphoplasty. There are multiple other procedures that sometime are needed.
But few have the magical quality of immediate relief, as you go home the same day and nearly resume normal activity.
Back pain sucks. I hope you can get relief as well.
gary

Are you an MD, gchappel?

?Are you an MD, gchappel??
yes, semi-retired radiologist.
I no longer do any interventional.
I also stayed at a holiday inn express.
gary

Many here have a PHd from the University of the Holiday Inn.

It's been exactly 5 months now since the surgery....time for an update of the results in case anyone here is considering it.

The first few days after surgery, I thought I was near 100%. After a few weeks, I realized it was more like 75% and I was having some pain while sitting, driving, and biking.

Now, 5 months in, the pain has slowly subsided....so much that I can bike for an hour or so without much pain at all. Driving my Civic, with it's still suspension, has been easier to do also.
I'm hoping that by the end of summer I won't have any pain at all.

Over all, the surgery was fantastic...esp considering the pain I had before the surgery.
I just wasn't prepared for the long recovery time. :)

Great news... Well done Steve.

^^^ Thanks!
I remember last fall, when trying to rake up some walnuts, I couldn't do it...the twisting motion would cause so much pain in my lower back that I would have to lay down after five minutes of raking.
Yesterday, I was raking some dirt for a grass seeding and I noticed that after a half hour that I had no pain at all.

I now have two cement stones in my spine along with a titanium rod in my femur bone.

The crematorium will prob charge extra for me. SmileWavy

Great news! It's been a long road, but sounds like well worth it.

^^^ Yes it has...but I'm very thankful that it's turning out good.

Excellent. Now time for you to have some fun, good (safe) fun.

^^^ Oh yes...that's my aim every day!

Six months since surgery...did 20 miles on the bike today without much pain.

An older friend told me that it would take at least a year to feel fully back to normal.
I didn't believe him because it was so much better immediately.

He will prob end up being right.