Bone cement
Also called: PMMA cement, acrylic bone cement
What it means
Bone cement is a fast-hardening acrylic material (usually PMMA) that surgeons use to fix artificial joints in place or stabilize fractured bones, especially in the spine.
If you ever need joint replacement surgery or treatment for a spinal compression fracture, understanding bone cement helps you ask informed questions about your procedure.
Bone cement is most often made from a material called PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), an acrylic that starts as a powder and liquid. When mixed, it goes through a chemical reaction that makes it harden into a solid within minutes, which lets a surgeon shape and place it while it's still soft, then let it set firmly in the bone.
In joint replacement surgery, bone cement is used to anchor an artificial joint, such as a hip or knee implant, to the surrounding bone. In spine procedures like vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty, cement is injected into a fractured vertebral body to stabilize it and reduce pain from a collapse. The cement does not dissolve or get replaced by the body's own bone over time.
Because it's a permanent material, using bone cement involves tradeoffs your surgical team weighs carefully, including the small risk of cement leaking outside the intended area, effects on nearby bone, and how it may affect any future surgery, like hardware removal or revision surgery. Whether cement is the right choice, and which technique is used, is a decision for your orthopedic surgeon based on your specific fracture, bone quality, and overall health.
Bone cement is a fast-hardening material surgeons use to stabilize fractures or fix artificial joints in place.
Where this leads
WordYou just read how bone cement stabilizes fractures. Curious how it's actually used in a spinal procedure? Vertebroplasty shows one real example.
Related words
Vertebroplasty is a procedure where a doctor injects bone cement into a fractured spinal vertebra to help stabilize…
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive surgery that uses a balloon and bone cement to repair and stabilize a collapsed…
A hip replacement is surgery to remove a damaged hip joint and replace it with an artificial implant, often done for…
A vertebral compression fracture is when a bone in the spine collapses or flattens, often because the bone is…
Revision surgery is a repeat operation to replace or repair a previous joint implant, like a hip replacement, that…
Internal fixation is surgery that uses metal rods, plates, screws, or wires placed inside the body to hold a broken…
Education only, not medical advice. Decisions about tests, medications and treatment belong with your own doctor. OsteoStrong does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
