Medically reviewed by Dr. David L. Greenwald, MD, FAANS, FACS — dual board-certified spine surgeon & neurosurgeon. Last reviewed October 2026.

A vertebral compression fracture can cause sudden, severe back pain that makes everyday movement unbearable — and it often happens with little or no injury when bone is weakened by osteoporosis. Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty repair the fractured vertebra through a small needle, stabilizing it and relieving pain, usually the same day.

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What Is Vertebral Compression Fracture Repair?

A vertebral compression fracture happens when one of the bones that stack to form your spine — a vertebra — cracks and collapses on itself, losing height at the front like a can being pressed from above. The result is often a sharp, deep pain in the mid or lower back that flares with standing, bending, or even a cough, and eases when you lie still. Over time, multiple compression fractures can round the upper back forward and steal height, but the first and most disabling symptom is usually the pain.

Vertebral repair is the family of minimally invasive procedures that fix that broken vertebra from the inside. Rather than a large open operation, Dr. Greenwald passes a thin needle into the fractured bone under live X-ray guidance and fills the cracks with medical-grade bone cement, which hardens in minutes to splint the fracture internally. Once the bone can no longer shift with every movement, the pain that the fracture was generating typically settles — frequently the same day. At Desert Spine and Pain, this is handled by a dual board-certified spine surgeon and neurosurgeon, so the bone, the discs, and the nearby nerves are all assessed by one expert before anything is treated.

Our Vertebral Repair Procedures

There are two closely related ways to repair a compression fracture, and the right one depends on the age of the fracture, how much height has been lost, and your overall bone health. Dr. Greenwald performs both and will recommend the approach best suited to your spine — not a one-size-fits-all default.

When Is Vertebral Repair Needed?

Not every compression fracture needs a procedure. Many stable fractures heal over several weeks with rest, short-term bracing, pain medication, and treatment of the underlying bone condition. Vertebral repair becomes the right choice when the fracture is painful, recent, and keeping you from living normally. You should be evaluated when:

• The pain is severe and persistent. Focused, movement-related back pain that hasn't eased with a reasonable trial of rest, bracing, and medication — especially when it's confining you to bed or a chair.
• The fracture came from weakened bone. Osteoporotic fractures can occur with a minor bend, a cough, or no clear injury at all. These are the most common candidates for kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty.
• The fracture followed an injury. A fall, a car accident, or other trauma can crack a vertebra in an otherwise healthy spine. We confirm the fracture is stable and that the broken bone — not another problem — is the true source of your pain.
• The fracture is fresh. Repair tends to work best on recent fractures that are still healing, before the collapse becomes fixed, which is one reason prompt evaluation matters.

Relief Measured in Days, Not Months

Vertebral compression fractures don't always need open surgery. Through a small needle and under live X-ray guidance, Dr. Greenwald stabilizes the broken vertebra with bone cement — often relieving pain within a day and letting patients move again quickly. The judgment that matters most comes before the needle ever moves: confirming on your imaging that the fracture is the real source of your pain, deciding whether kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty fits your spine, and making sure a more serious problem isn't hiding behind the fracture. That is exactly the kind of decision a dual-trained spine surgeon and neurosurgeon is equipped to make, and it is why we never rush straight to a procedure.

A Minimally Invasive, Often Outpatient Procedure

Both kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty are minimally invasive and needle-based — there is no large incision and no muscle cutting. The procedure is usually done on an outpatient basis with local anesthesia and light sedation, so most patients go home the same day rather than staying in a hospital. Dr. Greenwald guides a thin cannula into the collapsed vertebra under continuous X-ray, then delivers bone cement that fills and binds the fracture. In kyphoplasty, a small balloon is first inflated to reopen some of the lost space before the cement goes in; in vertebroplasty, the cement is placed directly. In both cases the cement hardens within minutes, turning a bone that was shifting with every movement into a stable, splinted segment. Because the approach spares the surrounding tissue, it generally means far less post-procedure discomfort and a much quicker return to activity than traditional open spine surgery. The imaging guidance also lets Dr. Greenwald place the cement precisely and watch it set in real time, which is part of what makes these procedures both effective and well tolerated — even for older patients with fragile bone who would not be good candidates for a larger operation.

What to Expect — From Consultation to Recovery

A compression fracture can feel frightening, so we make the path from your first visit to your recovery clear and unhurried:

• Consultation & imaging. Dr. Greenwald reviews your history, examines your back, and studies your X-ray, MRI, or CT to confirm the fracture, pinpoint which vertebra is involved, and make sure it's the true source of your pain.
• An honest recommendation. If a fracture is likely to heal well on its own, we'll tell you — and support you with bracing, medication, and bone-health care instead. When repair is the right call, we explain whether kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty suits your spine and why.
• The procedure. The repair is performed by Dr. Greenwald under live X-ray guidance at an accredited affiliated surgical facility, typically as a same-day outpatient procedure with local anesthesia and light sedation.
• Recovery & follow-up. You go home with clear instructions and are seen in follow-up to confirm the fracture is stable, your pain is controlled, and — critically — your underlying bone health is being addressed to protect against future fractures.

Recovery & Getting Back to Life

One of the best-known benefits of vertebral repair is how quickly relief tends to arrive. Because the procedure stabilizes the broken bone directly, many patients notice that the sharp, movement-driven pain eases soon after — often within a day or two — rather than waiting weeks for a fracture to knit on its own. Most people rest for a day or so and then ease back into normal daily activity, with heavier lifting and strenuous exertion held off until Dr. Greenwald clears you. Because osteoporotic fractures reflect weakened bone, recovery isn't only about the single vertebra we repaired: we make sure a bone-health plan is in place, since treating the osteoporosis is what helps protect the rest of your spine going forward. Patients who have had one osteoporotic fracture are at higher risk of another, so this bone-health step is not an afterthought — it's a core part of the care. Every recovery plan is personalized and reviewed at follow-up so you heal safely and return to the activities that matter to you.

Insurance, Out-of-Network & Cost

We welcome out-of-network patients of every kind and you don't need a referral to be seen. Our team verifies your coverage and explains any out-of-pocket costs before anything is scheduled, so there are no surprises. The exact cost of kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty depends on which procedure you need, where it's performed, and the specifics of your coverage, which is why we give you a clear picture up front rather than a one-size-fits-all number. Because many compression fractures follow a fall or a car accident, we also coordinate closely with personal-injury attorneys and offer 24/7 concierge support for accident-related spine care — so getting the fracture evaluated quickly is never held up by paperwork.

Proudly Serving the Greater Phoenix, Arizona Area

Why Choose Our Fracture Specialist in Phoenix

Your procedure is performed by a dual board-certified spine surgeon and neurosurgeon — so if a fracture turns out to be more complex, you're already with the expert who can treat it. We welcome out-of-network patients, require no referral, and coordinate with personal-injury attorneys for accident-related fractures.

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Kyphoplasty & Vertebroplasty: Frequently Asked Questions