Dr. Clinton Howard, IV worked with this sweet young lady to conservatively treat a pars fracture in her spine. The pars interarticularis is a portion of the lumbar spine and joins together the upper and lower joints. Emily was suffering from spondylolysis (spon-dee-low-lye-sis) which is a common cause of low back pain in adolescent athletes. The stress fracture can be seen on X-ray in one of the bones (vertebrae) that make up the spinal column. Dr. Howard worked with Emily for more than a year exploring all non-surgical treatment options but, unfortunately, surgery was imminent for Emily. A spinal fusion was performed between the lumbar vertebra and the sacrum.
One year later, Emily has had a very productive year of recovery. Emily’s family shared her patient success story with us stating, “What a difference a year makes! One year ago today we were at the hospital waiting for Emily to have surgery. Five months after surgery she made the volleyball team and most recently she made the MHS golf team. This girl amazes me!” Congratulations Emily! Thank you for sharing your story. Go Panthers!
To learn more about spondylolysis, view this article from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
To learn more about Dr. Howard, you can read his bio.
