10/22/2023 0 Comments Stress fracture in lower backIf you do have a stress fracture it is likely you’ll need some time away from dance (or whatever other activity that may be causing it). However in an ideal world we would catch the fracture early and let it adequately heal. In very rare occasions they may need to be stabilized surgically. This sounds very scary but even most spondylolisthesis’s are manageable with core strengthening and activity or technique modification. If this occurs on both sides of the spine it can create an instability called a spondylolisthesis. If you leave it too long and continue activity it can progress to a full pars defect (ie fracture all the way through). Bone scans are used less frequently these days since MRI’s have become so detailed Can you heal a stress fracture?Ĭaught early a stress fracture has a good chance of healing with simply rest. Often this bony bruising is a response to increased load on a bone. X-rays show stress fracture but only very late in the natural course of the injury.Ĭonsequently your physiotherapist or GP or Sports Dr may refer you for a CT scan which shows bones in far greater detail, or an MRI which can show bony bruising. If there is any concern of one then you will likely need a scan to check for it. So how do I find out if I have a stress fracture?Īs noted above there is a few symptoms that we may look for of we believe you have a stress fracture. However these symptoms are highly varied. Generally the pain is localized to the lumbar spine and can be one sided or both sides. The tendency is for you to have pain with arching backwards exercises but can also occur with running, hopping and jumping.Ĭompared with muscular pain you may notice that it lingers on after finishing the activity and sometimes hurts at night. Unfortunately a stress fracture can mimic regular muscular low back pain which makes it difficulty to diagnose. It is uncertain as to whether this is due to differences in the body through adolescence or differences in activity levels. Sex – boys are roughly 3 times more likely to develop a stress fracture than girls.Age – stress fractures in the lumbar spine can occur at any age but are more prevalent in adolescents. Repetitive extension (arching backwards) activities – as mentioned above arching backwards puts load on the region of the spine that can develop the stress fracture.The risk factors for a lumbar spine stress fracture are: In the picture below you can see a healthy pars interarticularis at the vertebral level of the blue arrow, and an old stress fracture at the level of the red arrow. Often these are referred to in literature as a pars defect (which is a progression of a stress fracture) or spondylolysis. This can include jumping or hopping with poor core control and as a result landing with a “sway back” posture.Ī stress fracture in the lumbar spine occurs in part of the vertebra known as the pars interarticularis which is put under load during these movements. Stress fractures occur in the lumbar spine with repetitive extension (leaning back) movements. This is arguably the most serious lower back issue for dancers. Lower Back Pain in Dancers: Stress Fracture There are a few common complaints that we see frequently, hopefully some of which can be avoided. In this article we will focus on low back pain in dancers. However, since dancers have to be able to contort themselves into infinite positions, often at speed there is always a risk of injury.Īdditionally, most of the serious dancers are young and growing which can be recipe for injury. Particularly, lower back pain in dancers.įrom a physiotherapy perspective it is quite interesting treating a dancer as they usually have a high degree of flexibility and hopefully good strength. Consequently, we are seeing more and more dancers in the clinic. Dance has become a highly participated activity with it’s own unique set of injuries.
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