After a Fall,

Jaci Hammer is an active 83-year-old. She loves to take her dog, Chico, for daily walks. She exercises at the YMCA at least three times a week, practicing various techniques to avoid falling.

In February, though, she tripped and fell while leaving a restaurant, landing on her side. She initially thought she had injured her left arm, but she didn’t feel it was serious enough to warrant a doctor’s visit. A few days later, painful muscle spasms began in her back.

She went to the emergency department at Bryan Medical Center, where a scan found two fractured vertebrae in the middle of her spine. She was placed in a back brace and was recommended to consult a specialist.

Jaci felt anxiety and uncertainty about if her back could be fixed.

“The last thing an older person wants is to be debilitated,” she said. “It really threatens your independence, so you want to get well as quickly as possible.”

Jaci’s longtime doctor, internal medicine physician Michael Pace, MD, referred her to interventional radiologist Michael Budler, MD. Dr. Budler had a routine solution for her problem – a kyphoplasty.

Dr. Budler regularly performs kyphoplasties at Bryan Medical Center. Through a small incision in the skin, two needles are guided into the fractured vertebra using real-time X-ray imaging. A small balloon is inserted through each needle and gently inflated to restore the height and shape of each vertebra. This creates a space in each vertebra which is then filled with a medical bone cement to stabilize the bone.

Kyphoplasties can treat spinal fractures from trauma, like Jaci’s, as well as fractures stemming from osteoporosis and certain cancers.

The surgery was on Bryan West Campus on February 23. She was put under anesthesia for the procedure, which takes about 30-45 minutes per spinal level (section of the spine). She stayed at the medical center for a few hours after surgery before being discharged.

Compared to other treatments for Jaclyn’s fractures, a kyphoplasty offered distinct advantages such as restored mobility and faster recovery. With the small incision, Jaci said her back shows no sign of surgery. Best of all, her pain almost instantly disappeared.

“I could immediately move around and not be in pain,” she said.

Jaci said she felt slight discomfort as she recovered from the surgery at home, but that faded after a few days. Dr. Budler told her to avoid lifting anything more than 25 pounds. Jaclyn hasn’t needed many other lifestyle adjustments, though she did struggle with getting back out into the world after recovery.

“It’s kind of like having a car accident,” she said. “You have trauma, and you have to get over that.”

Today, Jaci is back to her exercise routine, building back her strength after her surgery. She’s grateful for the efficient procedure that helped her get back on her feet and into the gym.

“Lincoln is an oasis for health care, especially for older people,” she said.

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To learn how you can support the work of Bryan Health, please contact the Bryan Foundation staff by calling 402-481-8605.