Kyphoplasty Surgery in Delhi | Vertebral Fracture Stabilisation

Kyphoplasty (sometimes searched as "chiroplasty," a common mishearing of the term) treats vertebral compression fractures, cracks in the vertebral body that cause the bone to collapse or wedge, most commonly from osteoporosis, but also from trauma or, less commonly, tumours weakening the bone. A balloon is used to restore some of the vertebra's lost height before it's filled and stabilised with cement, treating both the pain and the structural collapse.

Balloon kyphoplasty is the standard technique: a small balloon is inserted into the fractured vertebra under fluoroscopic (X-ray) guidance and inflated, creating a cavity and lifting the collapsed bone back toward its original height, before the balloon is removed and the cavity filled with bone cement.

These two procedures are often confused, and it's worth being precise, since the difference genuinely matters:

• Vertebroplasty injects bone cement directly into the fractured vertebra, without a balloon, primarily to stabilise the fracture and relieve pain.
• Kyphoplasty first inflates a balloon to create space and attempt to restore vertebral height, then fills that cavity with cement.

A common claim online is that kyphoplasty has a flatly "lower risk of complications" than vertebroplasty. That's not quite precise. Kyphoplasty does have a lower risk of cement leakage specifically, because the cement is injected into an already-created cavity at lower pressure, but the evidence doesn't clearly show kyphoplasty has a lower overall complication rate compared to vertebroplasty. Both are genuinely effective, well-established procedures; the right choice depends on your specific fracture.

A collapsed or compressed vertebra, sometimes described by patients as a "broken backbone" or "backbone fracture," most often results from:

• Osteoporosis, weakening bone density, particularly in older adults, and by far the most common cause
• Trauma, from a fall or accident
• Tumours or cancer affecting the vertebra, weakening the bone structure

The cause matters for more than just diagnosis, it also affects your outlook. Fractures caused by cancer carry roughly double the complication rate of osteoporosis-related fractures in some published reviews, which is exactly why identifying the underlying cause is a genuine priority, not a formality.

Signs of a vertebral compression fracture include sudden, severe back pain, often worse when standing, sitting, or with movement; a noticeable loss of height, a stooped or hunched posture, and reduced mobility. Fractures are confirmed through X-ray, CT, or MRI, imaging that also identifies the fracture's shape and severity, both of which affect how well kyphoplasty is likely to work.

Fracture level and shape matter. Fractures like an L2 compression fracture or a D12 wedge compression fracture are common presentations, and wedge-shaped fractures (compressed at the front of the vertebral body) tend to respond best to kyphoplasty. Other shapes, such as biconcave fractures or crush fractures (where the entire vertebral body is affected), don't always respond as predictably.

Compression fracture treatment in elderly patients requires extra care, since osteoporosis, multiple existing fractures, and other health conditions are more common in this group. Kyphoplasty is generally considered safe for older adults, but a full evaluation of bone density, overall health, and fracture pattern is essential before proceeding, alongside a plan to manage the underlying osteoporosis, since kyphoplasty treats the fracture, not the bone-weakening condition that caused it.

Kyphoplasty may be appropriate if you have:

• A confirmed vertebral compression fracture on imaging
• Persistent, significant pain that hasn't responded to conservative treatment (pain medication, bracing, physical therapy)
• A fracture that occurred recently, ideally within 8 weeks. Kyphoplasty works best early; it's generally not performed 12 or more weeks after the fracture, since height restoration becomes difficult once the bone has started to heal on its own

Kyphoplasty is generally not suitable for:

• Active spinal infection
• Extremely severe osteoporosis, where the bone may be too fragile to support the procedure
• Uncontrolled medical conditions that increase procedural risk
• Spinal tumours where the procedure isn't the appropriate treatment
• Significant neurological deficits requiring a different intervention
• Pregnancy, due to imaging radiation exposure

Balloon kyphoplasty surgery is minimally invasive and typically completed as a day-care procedure:

1. 1Positioning: you lie face-down, and the treatment area is cleaned
2. 2Anaesthesia: local anaesthesia with sedation is used; general anaesthesia is occasionally needed depending on the case
3. 3Guided access: under fluoroscopic (X-ray) guidance, a needle is carefully positioned into the fractured vertebra
4. 4Balloon inflation: a balloon is inserted and inflated, creating a cavity and helping restore vertebral height
5. 5Cement injection: the balloon is removed, and the cavity is filled with bone cement, which hardens within 10-20 minutes, stabilising the vertebra
6. 6Completion: the needle is withdrawn, and the small entry point is closed with a bandage; the procedure typically takes about an hour

Many patients ask, is kyphoplasty a major surgery? It's considered minimally invasive, not major, open surgery: no large incision, no muscle cutting, and most patients go home the same day or after a short overnight observation.

Recovery is generally faster than traditional spine surgery, but pain after kyphoplasty surgery, mild soreness at the needle site, is common in the first day or two.

Kyphoplasty has a genuinely favourable safety profile, but it isn't risk-free, and we'd rather tell you plainly than understate it. A widely cited review in the Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare estimates the overall complication rate at under 4% for osteoporosis-related fractures, rising to roughly 10% when the fracture is caused by cancer, which is exactly why identifying the cause matters.

Possible risks include:

• Mild pain or bruising at the injection site
• Infection, uncommon, and typically treatable with antibiotics if it occurs
• Cement leakage beyond the vertebra, usually without symptoms, though rarely it can press on a nearby nerve
• Allergic reaction to the bone cement or contrast material used during imaging
• Rare, serious complications: nerve or spinal cord injury, or cement entering a blood vessel and travelling to the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
• It isn't yet clear whether treating one vertebra increases the risk of a new fracture at an adjacent level, though people with osteoporosis are already at higher risk of further fractures generally

Serious complications are uncommon but not impossible. Your specialist will discuss your individual risk factors honestly, including fracture cause, timing, and shape, before proceeding.

Kyphoplasty surgery cost in India typically ranges from roughly ₹80,000 to ₹1,50,000 or more, depending on the hospital, city, number of vertebrae treated, and complexity of your case. This is a general market indication, not a specific quote, since your actual cost depends on your individual diagnosis and treatment plan.

If you're researching kyphoplasty surgery in Delhi or the wider Delhi NCR region, the most useful first step is an accurate diagnosis, confirming the fracture, its cause, and whether it's still within the window where kyphoplasty is likely to help. Nivaan's Gurugram clinic is where that assessment starts.

To be direct: our interventional pain specialists focus on accurate diagnosis, confirming your fracture, its cause, timing, and shape, and coordinating the right next step, whether that's conservative pain management, an image-guided procedure, or referral for kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty performed by the appropriate specialist. We'll always be upfront with you about exactly who will be performing your procedure and what their specific experience is, rather than leaving that unclear.

Assessment at Nivaan Care starts with an accurate diagnosis, not an assumption. Every patient is guided by a full multidisciplinary team:

• Interventional Pain Specialist - confirms your diagnosis, fracture cause, and timing, and coordinates the right treatment pathway
• Physiotherapist - supports mobility and strength, both before and after any procedure
• Pain Counsellor - supports the anxiety that comes with sudden, severe back pain and reduced mobility
• Nutrition Expert - supports bone health alongside any procedure, since kyphoplasty treats the fracture, not the underlying osteoporosis