Osteoporosis
In-depth information on the common causes and symptoms of osteoporosis as well as treatment options such as kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty spine surgery, calcium supplements, and osteoporosis medications

Cortoss Pivotal Trial (sponsored clinical trial listing)
This is a multi-center, prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial comparing the safety and effectiveness of the Cortoss biomaterial to PMMA bone cement when used in the vertebroplasty procedure to treat vertebral compression fractures. Read more...

Pain relief after a vertebral compression fracture: Kyphoplasty case review
December 30, 2005
Osteoporosis-related spine fractures are fairly common, especially in people over age seventy. When these fractures cause pain, a procedure called kyphoplasty may be an option—but usually only within a few months after the fracture. This article presents the case of a patient who had successful kyphoplasty solely under local anesthesia. Read more...
By: Andrew P. Manista, MD and A. Jay Khanna, MD

Kyphoplasty for vertebral compression fractures
June 1, 2005
Kyphoplasty is an elective surgery designed to achieve two main goals in patients suffering from painful vertebral compression fractures: to reduce or eliminate back pain; avoid an increase in spinal deformity; and restore spinal alignment, thus improving the patient’s posture. Read more...
By: Rafael Levin, MD

When is back pain a fracture?
May 11, 2005
Osteoporosis-related vertebral fractures can occur from activities as gentle as opening a window, and often go undiagnosed. For women, especially those with risk factors for osteoporosis, many physicians believe that a vertebral fracture should be suspected in any women over age 45 with sudden onset of back pain. Read more...
By: Scott Boden, MD

Food for thought: diet and nutrition for a healthy back
December 10, 2004
Patients with back problems may not be aware that diet and nutrition play a major role in nourishing spinal structures, preventing problems and healing from injuries. Using these nutrition guidelines, patients can integrate back-friendly vitamins and nutrients (especially calcium) into their diets. Read more...
By: Kelly Andrews, DC

Vertebral fracture treated with kyphoplasty: case review
November 17, 2003
Vertebral fractures can be caused by conditions such as osteoporosis. For the patient in this case it was decided to proceed with kyphoplasty, with the goal of alleviating the patient's back pain and restoring the height of the vertebra so that the patient would be able to stand upright. Read more...
By: Jeffrey Spivak, MD

Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty: percutaneous injection procedures for vertebral fractures
August 13, 2003
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are minimally invasive procedures that may be used in cases of severe pain caused by a vertebral fracture (which often results from osteoporosis). The spine surgery procedures are useful for patients whose conditions do not improve over a number of weeks with back pain medication and bracing. Read more...
By: Jeffrey M. Spivak, MD

Calcium requirements for kids' growing bones
January 16, 2003
The need for calcium acquisition and storage begins very early in life—especially in the pre-adolescent years. However, the decrease in children’s milk intake has created a serious shortfall in the amount of calcium that kids have an opportunity to obtain. To grow and maintain a strong spine and prevent osteoporosis later in life, kids need to have minimum calcium requirements in their diet. Read more...
By: Julian Huang, MD

What you need to know about osteoporosis
November 2000
Osteoporosis is a condition that is both preventable and is treatable if caught in time. However, the unfortunate fact about osteoporosis is that a compression fracture in the spine is typically the first noticeable sign of the disease. Too many people—mostly women over the age of 50—suffer significant illness, back pain, spinal deformity and sometimes (rarely) death from osteoporosis. Read more...
By: Donald J. Frisco, MD

Prevention and risk factors for osteoporosis
November 2000
Read about the most important things to do to prevent osteoporosis, when to start prevention (such as calcium supplements) and how to assess your risk factors for osteoporosis. Most of the preventative measures for osteoporosis are in the hands of the individual and should be started as early in life as possible. Read more...
By: Donald J. Frisco, MD

Diagnosis and treatment for osteoporosis
November 2000
Should you get tested for osteoporosis? Do you know what is involved in testing for bone loss?  An osteoporosis diagnosis distinguishes whether or not osteoporosis is a primary problem or is secondary to another problem. Therefore, a thorough history and physical examination, as well as the appropriate diagnostic tests, need to be obtained before treatment of osteoporosis begins. Read more...
By: Donald J. Frisco, MD

Kyphoplasty -a new treatment for osteoporotic fractures
July 10, 2000 (last updated July 17, 2000)
Kyphoplasty, a procedure for treating a compression fracture resulting from osteoporosis, is designed to restore height to the bone thus reducing deformity of the spine. The procedure involves inflating a special balloon in the vertebra for use in reducing (setting) fragility fractures to help them heal and creating a cavity in the soft inner bone in the vertebral body. Read more...

Osteoporosis medications
October 1999
Recently, several drugs have been approved for use in the treatment of osteoporosis to reduce the risk of fractures. Osteoporosis medications work by reducing the bone loss and increasing mineral deposition in the bones. Read more...
By: Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., MD

Vertebral and spinal fractures – The doctor is in!
April 19, 2005
This section addresses patients’ questions about vertebral fractures and spinal fractures. Answers are provided by Peter F. Ullrich, Jr., M.D., an orthopedic spine surgeon and Medical Director for op90.com. Patients’ inquiries on vertebral and spinal fractures were submitted by e-mail, and we’ve posted some common questions and responses here. Read more…

Please note that these additional patient resources (such as The Back-to-Back Forum and Newsletters) on op90.com are not peer-reviewed by the op90.com Medical Advisory Board.  They are provided as additional resources for patients to learn from each others’ experiences and to gain information from our popular newsletters.