Compression fracture · Louisville, KY

Compression fracture care

The EOSedge low-dose spine imaging system at miiSpine in Louisville

Get the fracture treated, and the bone behind it.

Request an appointment

What a compression fracture is.

Each vertebra is a block of bone. When bone thins, a block can crack and squash under an ordinary load: a stumble, lifting a grocery bag, sometimes nothing you can remember. The front of the vertebra collapses into a wedge, which is why people lose height and start to stoop. The pain is usually in the middle or lower back, worse with standing and walking, better lying down. A break like this is called a fragility fracture, and it's the loudest sign that the bone underneath has a problem that started long before the break.

Dr. Venu Vemuri at miiSpine in Louisville

How vertebral augmentation goes.

Awake, in the office

For appropriate patients the procedure is done in the miiSpine office under local anesthesia. No general anesthesia and no hospital admission.

A needle into the fracture

Under X-ray guidance, Dr. Vemuri passes a narrow needle through a small puncture in the skin into the collapsed vertebra. A small balloon may be used first to restore some height. The medical names are kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty.

Cement sets, you stand up

Bone cement fills the fracture and hardens within minutes, stabilizing the bone. You walk out the same day, with a plan to keep moving.

Who it can help.

A recent, painful fracture

Back pain that started with a fall, a lift or no clear cause, and an X-ray or MRI showing a collapsed vertebra.

Pain that's keeping you down

Weeks in a brace or in bed with pain that isn't easing. Immobility is hard on bone, heart and lungs, especially later in life.

A fracture with no osteoporosis plan

If you've had a fragility fracture and no one has checked your bone density or started treatment, that's the gap we close.

When augmentation makes sense, and when it doesn't.

Many compression fractures heal on their own with time, pain control and activity. Augmentation is for the ones that don't: pain that keeps you in bed or in a brace, a fracture that keeps collapsing on follow-up X-rays, or a patient who can't afford months of immobility, because lying still speeds up bone loss and deconditioning. It isn't the fix for an old, healed fracture, and it isn't a substitute for treating the osteoporosis. Dr. Vemuri looks at your imaging with you and tells you which applies to you.

Treat the break. Then treat the reason it broke.

A spinal compression fracture is a vertebra that has collapsed, usually because the bone had thinned from osteoporosis. It hurts, it can keep you off your feet for months, and the usual advice is to wait it out in a brace. We do it differently. For appropriate fractures, Dr. Vemuri does kyphoplasty in our office under local anesthesia, awake, in about 30 minutes, and starts the osteoporosis work-up at the same visit, because the strongest predictor of the next fracture is this one. No referral needed, and same-week appointments are available. Hablamos español: (502) 362-1780.

Call (502) 242-6370
In-office
Awake vertebral augmentation under local anesthesia
Home
The same day, after an in-office kyphoplasty
1
Visit: evaluation and treatment in the same office
5,000+
Spine surgeries by Dr. V
In-office
Awake vertebral augmentation under local anesthesia
Home
The same day, after an in-office kyphoplasty
1
Visit: evaluation and treatment in the same office
5,000+
Spine surgeries by Dr. V

What to expect.

Before

A visit with Dr. Vemuri and your imaging reviewed with you. Our EOSedge system takes a low-dose, standing image of your whole spine in seconds, and bone density can be estimated from the same exam as a first screen.

The day of the procedure

The procedure is done in the office, awake, under local anesthesia. Plan on a short stay afterward, and someone to drive you home.

After

You get a written plan to get moving again, and the osteoporosis work-up begins: labs, a DEXA bone density scan when needed, and treatment through our Metabolic Spine program.

5,000+
Spine surgeries
4,000+
Office visits per year
1,000+
Outpatient procedures in five years, in surgery centers since 2014

Dr Venu
Vemuri

Dr. Venu Vemuri, D.O. (Dr. V) is a fellowship-trained spine surgeon and is board-certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Orthopedic Surgery. He opened miiSpine in 2021 as an independent alternative to corporate medicine. He has performed more than 5,000 spine surgeries, has done minimally invasive spine surgery in ambulatory surgery centers since 2014, and he treats compression fractures and the osteoporosis behind them in the same office, through the Metabolic Spine program.

View More ↗

Questions about compression fractures.

What is vertebral augmentation?

A procedure that stabilizes a collapsed vertebra by filling it with bone cement through a needle. Kyphoplasty uses a small balloon to restore some height first. Vertebroplasty fills the fracture directly. For appropriate patients, Dr. Vemuri does these in the office, awake, under local anesthesia.

Does it hurt?

The skin and the path to the bone are numbed with local anesthetic. Most patients describe pressure rather than pain during the procedure. Many notice their fracture pain is different once the cement sets, though everyone responds differently.

Is kyphoplasty done in a hospital?

Not here. For appropriate fractures, Dr. Vemuri does kyphoplasty in our office under local anesthesia. You are awake, the procedure takes about 30 minutes, and you go home the same day. Same-week appointments are available.

What about the osteoporosis?

Treating the fracture without treating the bone invites the next fracture. We order a DEXA bone density scan and labs, review your fracture risk, and start treatment through our Metabolic Spine program, which also covers weight and hormone health.

How long does recovery take?

It varies, so we don't promise a date. The goal is to have you walking the same day and off the couch, because moving protects bone. Dr. Vemuri gives you a written plan.

¿Hablan español?

Sí. Llame al (502) 362-1780, las 24 horas, o visite miispine.com/accidentes.

I was told to wait six months. Is that wrong?

Not always. Some fractures heal well with time and activity. But if the pain has you in bed or in a brace for weeks, waiting has a cost of its own. Bring your imaging and we'll tell you plainly whether augmentation would help.

Do I need a referral?

No. Call (502) 242-6370 or request an appointment online. Same-week appointments are available. Referring providers can call the same number.

Does insurance cover it?

Vertebral augmentation and osteoporosis care are usually covered when medically necessary. Our team checks your benefits before the procedure. If you're paying cash, we'll give you the price before you book.

This content is for general information and isn't a substitute for a medical evaluation. Every spine is different. Talk to a spine specialist about your specific symptoms.

Our latest studio
news & insights.

A team of programming experts and designing
professionals develops, design, runs test, and/or manages
software development for the below-written :

What Does a PI Attorney Need From a Spine Surgeon? A Louisville Surgeon Explains

What Does a PI Attorney Need From a Spine Surgeon? A Louisville Surgeon ExplainsBy Dr. Venu Vemuri, DO | Fellowship-Trained Spine Surgeon | miiSpine, Louisville, KYPersonal injury attorneys in Louisville work with a lot of spine surgeons. Most of those relationships are transactional and frustrating — the attorney needs documentation, the surgeon's office is slow to respond, the narrative report arrives three months late and doesn't address causation, and the case suffers for it.I've been on the receiving end of that frustration. I've also seen what a well-managed PI medical relationship looks like. Here's what PI attorneys actually need from a spine surgeon — and why the right surgical partner makes a material difference in case outcomes.

How to Get a Spine Surgery Second Opinion in Louisville (Without Burning a Bridge)

How to Get a Spine Surgery Second Opinion in Louisville (Without Burning a Bridge)By Dr. Venu Vemuri, DO | Fellowship-Trained Spine Surgeon | miiSpine, Louisville, KYYou've been told you need spine surgery. Maybe the recommendation came from a surgeon you like and trust. Maybe it came from someone you just met. Either way, something in you wants to hear it from someone else before you say yes.That instinct is correct. A second opinion before spine surgery isn't a sign of distrust — it's a sign of good judgment. Here's how to get one in Louisville, what to bring, what questions to ask, and how to handle the conversation with your current surgeon.

Request An
Appointment Today

Get Started ↗ Self Schedule with Dr. V NOW↗
Call Now ↗Schedule $399 MRI NOW ↗
The Future of Spine Care - Now.

6420 New Dutchmans Pkwy, Suite 160, Louisville, KY 40205

(502) 242-6370

Resources
ServicesTreatment VideosConditionsGalleryPatient Portal
Company
AboutReviewsBlogContact
LegalChangelogSupport
© 2020 Copyright Flowbase • powered by Webflow