[Hinews] [Physician's Column] By Lee Dong Youp, Champodonamu Hospital Spine Center

If you experience stiffness or escalating pain when arching your back, it may not be simple muscle soreness but could warrant suspicion of spondylolysis. Spondylolysis involves a crack or defect in the pars interarticularis at the rear of the vertebra, leading to separation of part of the vertebral bone, instability in movement, and resultant pain. It can mimic ordinary low back pain, but neglecting it without identifying the cause can lead to worsening, so caution is advised.

Spondylolysis often occurs in occupations involving heavy lifting, athletes who repeatedly strain their backs, or individuals with habits that impose ongoing stress on the spine. Even without a family history, poor posture and excessive back use can be primary causes. If pain arises when lifting objects or climbing stairs, and discomfort intensifies when arching backward, it's likely more than muscle pain and may indicate a structural issue, necessitating precise diagnosis.

Expert insights on spondylolysis, its risks, and treatment strategies to prevent progression to spondylolisthesis. By Lee Dong Youp, Director of Spine Center at Champodonamu Hospital (Neurosurgery Specialist).
Expert insights on spondylolysis, its risks, and treatment strategies to prevent progression to spondylolisthesis. By Lee Dong Youp, Director of Spine Center at Champodonamu Hospital (Neurosurgery Specialist).
When detected early, spondylolysis can be effectively managed through conservative treatments like medication, physical therapy, and exercise therapy, which strengthen surrounding spinal muscles and enhance vertebral stability to alleviate symptoms. However, if left untreated and it progresses to spondylolisthesis with vertebral slippage, nerve compression can worsen, leading to low back pain, leg paralysis, or numbness.
Even with accompanying spondylolisthesis, if the slippage is mild or without severe symptoms, non-surgical treatments can relieve symptoms. But if conservative or non-surgical approaches fail, or symptoms like weakness, bowel/bladder dysfunction, or muscle atrophy emerge, surgical options such as microscopic decompression or mini spinal fusion should be actively considered. Recently, minimally invasive spine procedures that minimize incisions have become available, reducing recovery burden and shortening time to daily life return.

Spondylolysis often presents mildly at first, leading many to miss the treatment window, but early diagnosis allows symptom control without surgery through back muscle strengthening and appropriate therapy. If it advances to severe symptoms or prolonged nerve compression, recovery post-surgery may be slower, so recurring back pain of an unusual pattern warrants medical evaluation to check for nerve dysfunction.

Moreover, consistent strength exercises and lifestyle management after treatment are key to maintaining spinal health, and above all, not missing the treatment timing is crucial.

키워드

#SpineHealthChampodonamu#BackPainChampodonamu#SpondylolysisChampodonamu
저작권자 © Hinews 무단전재 및 재배포 금지
ad