Treatment of spondylolysis with external electrical stimulation in young athletes: a critical literature review

Abstract

Lumbar spondylolysis is a common cause of low back pain in adolescent athletes. It is a unilateral or bilateral defect of the pars interarticularis. The cause is still a matter of debate. A wide range of conservative treatments has been used. The purpose of this critical literature review is to investigate the efficacy of external electrical stimulation in the healing of this disorder.

Diagnosis and conservative management of degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis

“…Therapeutic protocols may include the use of modalities for pain relief, bracing, exercise, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and activity modification [13,44,55,56]. Unfortunately, some of the evidences for effectiveness of physical rehabilitation methods are coming from case reports [13,44] and cannot be generalized to the rest of the population.…”

Management of spondylolysis and low-grade spondylolisthesis in fine athletes. A comprehensive review

“…Other interventions include optimization of nutrition and application of electrical stimulation in the presence of persistent symptomatic non-union [55]. Two case series papers of a total three cases supported that the use of bracing combined with stimulation to decrease pain and healing of pars defects [56]. Generally, no high-level evidence studies with specific recommendations for bracing, rehab or surgery exist.…”

Spine Injuries in Tennis Players

“…In a study of 22 young athletes treated with surgical fusion for spondylolisthesis, 82 % returned to previous sport activity after an average of 7 months of rehabilitation [ 36 ]. Besides bracing, there are other nonoperative supplements treatment that have been used, such as external electrical stimulation, though the data is limited to case reports with poor descriptions of use and no clear link of electrical stimulation to the bony healing seen [ 37 ].…”