Spondylolisthesis due pars interarticularis lysis in sportsmen: clinical diagnosis, imaging and treatment.

Spondylolysis can be unexpectedly evidenced following acute or chronic lumbar pain. In children lumbar pain occurs suddenly, whereas in young adults it is related to former low back pain episodes. Diagnosis is based on radiological findings enabling identification of both pain severity and localizations. Although in most cases the disease is asymptomatic and slowly evolutive, either conservative treatment or sometimes surgery may be required. Conservative treatment recommends training be disrupted and, according to the pain severity, low back immobilisation using braces. It should be accompanied by analgesic, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, physical therapy and reeducation through movement training. Surgery, when it turns out to be strictly necessary aims at stabilizing motion, relieving pain and improving lumbar spine statics. (C) 1999 Elsevier, Paris.