You have just experienced a vertebral / spinal compression fracture.
And you have been referred by an orthopaedic, oncology or neurosurgical team to have a vertebroplasty procedure as one of the treatments that will help with your pain.
And you are looking for the most accurate information regarding this procedure?
As an interventional radiographer, I address the most frequently asked questions from internet users regarding vertebroplasty procedure, one of the procedures we do in interventional radiology.
And of course I rely on medical research studies on the subject matter. Any experience or questions, leave in the comments section. All references used at the end of this article.
Happy reading!😀 and feel free to ask questions in the comments or share your own experience.🙏
Last updated: April, 2026. Written by Juliet Semakula, a diagnostic radiographer.
▶️What is a vertebroplasty procedure?
Vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive medical procedure used to treat spinal compression fractures (breaks in the vertebrae). It is primarily performed to:
♦️Relieve severe back pain.
♦️Stabilise the spine
Compression fractures are breaks in the bones that make up your spine. When the broken pieces of bone rub together, it causes pain.
So vertebroplasty uses surgical cement to hold your bones in place to prevent them from collapsing and provide pain relief.
Over 6,130 vertebroplasty procedures happen each year in the United States (Laratta 2017)
Since the first vertebroplasty was performed in 1984, it has evolved as a common treatment for painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (Clark 2023)
▶️The common reasons your doctors will recommend a vertebroplasty procedure is when:
⚪You have osteoporosis, weakened bones that fracture easily.
⚪Spinal Tumours such as multiple myeloma or metastatic cancer that has weakened the vertebrae.
⚪Trauma fractures caused by injury in cases where standard treatments like rest or bracing haven’t worked.
The patients who come to us for this procedure have had pain lasting for at least two months and doesn’t get better with other forms of treatment like rest, medications and physical therapy then they are candidates for vertebroplasty?
▶️ How is a vertebroplasty performed, is it a major surgery, are you put to sleep?
I always have patients ask me these questions before the procedure. My role is to reassure them and make them comfortable throughout the procedure as I provide diagnostic images to the doctor doing the procedure.
What to Expect During the Procedure
Is vertebroplasty a major surgery? The answer to this is NO
It’s minimally invasive and usually the patients we see go home the same day of the procedure unless advised by the doctor for you to stay overnight.
You will be seen in an interventional dept outpatient clinic prior to the procedure to ensure you understand the procedure and give informed consent.
Your surgeon will give you specific instructions to follow before vertebroplasty that may include:
⚪Stop taking certain medications such as blood thinners.
⚪Take medications prescribed by your surgeon before the date of your surgery.
⚪Don’t eat anything a few hours before the procedure. You may be able to drink sips of water to take any medications on the day of the procedure.
⚪Wear loose clothes and arrange to be driven home after the procedure.
▶️Steps during the actual vertebroplasty procedure
♈We will change you into a gown, you will lay on your stomach in the treatment room.
♈The treatment normally takes 1 hour per treated bone.
♈An anaesthesiologist will give you moderate sedation or general anaesthesia before the surgeon performs the procedure.
♈You will be laying prone on the x-ray table.
♈The doctor will use a hollow needle through the skin towards the fractured vertebra
♈During the process, x-ray fluoroscopy will be used to guide the doctor as a needle goes in.
♈Then the bone cement is injected through the needle. The cement will harden the affected area within 20 minutes, and the fractured bones will be held together.
♈When your surgeon finishes the procedure, the needle will be removed and a bandage placed over the puncture site.
♈You’ll need to leave this bandage on for a couple of days as your healthcare provider recommends.
♈Normally patients are advised to go home the same day and advised to rest for about 24 hours.
♈ Avoid any heavy lifting or strenuous exercises for a few weeks following vertebroplasty.
A case of an 83-year-old female with 2-week history of severe back pain treated with vertebroplasty using “vertebral fill” technique.
Image source Clark 2023
Imaging showing a compressed spine treated with vertebroplasty using “vertebral fill” technique.
♦️Image A showing an MRI scan with an oblique fracture cleft in T11.
♦️Image B showing a fluoroscopy x-ray image after injecting 3.5 cc of polymethyl methacrylate with a partial filling of the cleft (white arrow) but not the adjacent trabecular bone.
♦️And image C and D, Shows after vertebral fill injection of 8 cc polymethyl methacrylate filling.
♦️The cement is filling not just the fracture cleft but also supporting the trabecular bone above and below it to prevent ongoing fracturing
Source: Clark 2023
▶️How painful is a vertebroplasty procedure?
Vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive, typically low-pain procedure performed under sedation.
Most patients we see detail their pain after the procedure as:
♦️During the Procedure the patient is awake but sedated, and local anaesthetic is used to numb the area, ensuring no strong pain felt during the procedure.
♦️After the procedure patients claim to feel some tenderness or bruising at the needle puncture site in the back which is normal. The injection site may feel sore for 1–2 days.
♦️Many patients experience significant or complete pain reduction within 24 to 48 hours.
♦️Most people can resume normal activities within 24–48 hours.
Advice normally given to patients we see is
⚫Doctors typically advise on pain relievers if needed.
⚫Applying an ice bag for 15 minutes each hour can help reduce initial discomfort.
▶️How long does it take to recover from a vertebroplasty?
Recovery from a vertebroplasty is generally very quick, with many patients returning to their normal routine within 24 hours.
While initial pain relief can be immediate, full recovery and return to strenuous activities typically takes about 6 weeks.
Immediate Recovery (First 24–48 Hours)
⚫Hospital Stay: Most procedures are outpatient, meaning you can typically go home the same day after 1–2 hours of observation.
⚫ Pain Relief: You may feel significant relief immediately or within 24–48 hours.
⚫Activity: You are usually encouraged to walk within an hour of the procedure
⚫You must avoid heavy lifting (typically anything over 5kg), bending, or twisting for at least 6 weeks to allow the bone to stabilize.
⚫The puncture site may be sore for a few days, sometimes I hear patients advised to use an ice pack for 15 minutes every hour to reduce discomfort.
⚫You can usually return to strenuous exercise or sports after 6 weeks, provided your doctor clears you during a follow-up appointment.
⚫A review appointment is typically scheduled for 4-8 weeks post-procedure to assess your progress
▶️What are the benefits of a vertebroplasty?
For this question I will base on research studies that have followed up people who have had vertebroplasty.
Many studies have demonstrated that vertebroplasty is superior to conservative therapy in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures, as such, its utilization has increased in the past 10 years (Goz 2011)
A research study of over 26,046 vertebroplasty performed on patients older than 40 years between 2005 and 2008 in the three states studied (New York, California, and Florida).
Reported these benefits:
🟡Vertebroplasty has shown a significant postoperative decrease in pain.
🟡Increase in function.
🟡Improved sagittal alignment
Source: (Goz 2011)
Vertebroplasty has been studied in five blinded trials. And one of these trials showed more benefit from vertebroplasty when the procedure was mostly performed within 3 weeks of fracture onset (Clark,2023)
▶️How soon can you drive after vertebroplasty?
While the procedure itself is minimally invasive, your ability to drive safely depends on your physical recovery and medication use.
🟡 First 24 Hours: You must not drive. You will need someone to drive you home from the hospital.
🟡 I have seen people typically resume driving 24 to 48 hours after a vertebroplasty, provided they meet certain safety criteria.
🟡 Longer Wait (up to 6 weeks): If you had more complex surgery or are still experiencing limited mobility, your doctor may advise waiting longer.
▶️It is always good to check your safety control before getting behind the wheel of a car.
🟡You should be able to sit comfortably and move your back and legs without sharp pain.
🟡You must be able to perform an emergency stop (braking quickly and firmly) without discomfort or hesitation.
🟡You are strictly prohibited from driving while taking narcotic/opioid pain relief or any medication that causes drowsiness or distraction.
🟡You must be able to turn your head and torso sufficiently to check blind spots and mirrors.
We have come to the end of this article, any questions let meet in the comments sections. Wishing you a quick recovery!🙋
📚Source:
Sayari AJ, Liu Y, Cohen JR, Van Halm-Lutterodt NI, Hai Y, Buser Z, Wang JC. Trends in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty after thoracolumbar osteoporotic fracture: A large database study from 2005 to 2012. J Orthop. 2015 Oct 27;12(Suppl 2):S217-22. doi: 10.1016/j.jor.2015.10.002. PMID: 27047226; PMCID: PMC4796529.
Clark W, Diamond T. Early Vertebroplasty for Severely Painful Acute Osteoporotic Compression Fractures: A Critical Review of the Literature. Cardiovasc Intervent Radiol. 2023 Nov;46(11):1439-1446. doi: 10.1007/s00270-022-03348-z. Epub 2023 Jan 18. PMID: 36656324; PMCID: PMC10616218.
Laratta JL, Shillingford JN, Lombardi JM, Mueller JD, Reddy H, Saifi C, Fischer CR, Ludwig SC, Lenke LG, Lehman RA. Utilization of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures throughout the United States over a recent decade: an analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. J Spine Surg. 2017 Sep;3(3):364-370. doi: 10.21037/jss.2017.08.02. PMID: 29057344; PMCID: PMC5637187.
Goz V, Koehler SM, Egorova NN, Moskowitz AJ, Guillerme SA, Hecht AC, Qureshi SA. Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty: trends in use in ambulatory and inpatient settings. Spine J. 2011 Aug;11(8):737-44. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2011.07.002. Epub 2011 Sep 8. PMID: 21862416.