My son, age 12, was just diagnosed with Spondylolysis, which is a stress fracture in the lower spine.

Doctor said he'll be off the ice for 2-3 months and will need to wear a back brace while he heals. He'll also need physical therapy and will need to ease back into skating after he heals.

Has anyone else seen this injury in their child or a student?

Any insights you could provide would be greatly appreciated. I'm just trying to learn more about the injury and what we can expect from a healing perspective and future skating standpoint.

Thanks!

Yes....I had an apparent crack or fracture in my lower back last year that was missed on the X-ray by radiologist but caught by another doctor. My first sports med guy said to take time off skating, etc etc. This was in the fall - just before qualifying. So we got another opinion - hauled the X-rays to another city with a sports doc. familiar with figure skating. He took one look at the X-Rays - a good look at me - and then proclaimed that I could skate at Nationals as long as I didn't do any laybacks in practice - and quit practice when my back got too sore.

In sports - always get a second opinion, especially from someone who actually understands the mechanics of the sport. Most athletes at the elite level are skating injured - but skating smart and receiving therapy to reduce those injuries.

I second ice_godess in getting a second opinion, but also, keep in mind that what is OK for an adult or young adult, may not be OK for a 12 year old boy. I recommend taking him to a pediatric orthopod, preferably one familiar with sports injuries.

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I'm not so sure about a pediatric orthopod --- I saw one for knee issues and her solution was an MRI and surgery, not to mention getting off the ice for a long time. She was the second opinion!! My mom got a third opinion from one of the official skating association doctors - and guess what? No surgery just specialized physiotherapy.........and I didn't miss nationals that year either.

When I broke my wrist (on a crosscut lol) the emerg doctor said no skating for months -- the pediatric orthopedic surgeon we saw later was a former national volleyball player and married to a dancer - understood my skill level and competitive needs - and let me skate with a splint for 4 months just to be safe, with no triples outside the harness.

So we learned - unless the medical personnel, and that also includes chiropractors, trainers, physio's, sports med and orthopedic surgeons - understand the stresses and strains of figure skating -- they really can't make an educated decision about your injury treatment.

However, the caveat - if it hurts, don't do it - still holds true! If a 12-year old boy is not at the elite level and doesn't need to be taking chances with his injury -----take some time off and get physio. No sense risking more injury without good reason. Good luck!

Coming from somebody who designs spinal implants and instrumentation, and who has observed multiple surgeries, a spine is not something that you want to mess with. What can happen? Well, would you skate on a broken leg? Here, he'd be trying to skate on a broken bone in his spine. Further fracture or progression into more serious problems can occur, especially dependant on where the fracture is located in the spine. Every case is unique.

The doctor (ortho? neuro?) who gave you that diagnosis has given you a fairly conservative and reasonable treatment that may allow the fracture to heal completely (I don't know what your son's spondy looks like, so I can't really give an answer, and neither can anybody else online). There might be no side effects-- he's young, and if the fracture is minor, it might not even present future problems if it is allowed to heal. But only a specialist who has studied your son's films can tell you what to expect.

This: http://understandspinesurgery.com/ is a great resource to understanding spinal problems, anatomy, and finding specialists.

I don't want to be the wet blanket, but I've seen so much and will say that the one thing that I will never mess with is my spine! (remember... not only does the spine keep you upright and let you bend your back, but the vertebral bodies protect VERY important neurological elements, like nerves and your spinal cord)

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When asked what his "secret" to success was, Wayne Gretsky said: "Skate to where the puck is going and not to where it has been."
Is the figure skating version of this: Skate as if you're doing an axel and not just learning how to hop?

Good advice as well!

And, yes! There are skaters who compete with 'broken' legs, ankles, wrists, ribs, etc. at nationals each year or at worlds and olympics.

My point was that if you are a trained athlete who has an injury - it is not always necessary to ruin your year. It depends upon the severity of the injury and the stress it will take during a program or training. If one more competition won't make the injury worse (and it happens to be nationals or worlds or olympics) - then a sports-knowledgable physician will know your limits for safety.

If you are a test skater or beginning competitive skater - you can afford to take the time off for healing.

That said - hmmm - let's think of Tara Lipinski, Rudi Galiano, and most recently Pluschenko and Michelle Kwan.....didn't they end up with hip replacements etc??

(but they were elite athletes that did more than their one important competition -- and just kept pushing their bodies and injuries)

Thanks everyone for your input. I was just trying to find out if anyone else on this board has seen this kind of injury before. Not necessarily looking for advice, just to learn more about it from someone who might have experienced it first hand.

My son is having an MRI tomorrow so we'll see what that shows. Everything looked good on the x-rays he had yesterday. We're all hoping that the MRI is negative and it turns out to be a core strength problem instead of a fracture. Time will tell. My son definitely is at the level where he can take time off and that's what we'll do if that's what the doctor prescribes. Thanks again!

You might need to be careful with kids though, especially athletes. A lot of the time, what they'll do is act like everything is fine around mom, and then limp or rest when you're not around. So they might say that nothing hurts, when in reality, they're just faking so that they can still practice/compete. And at 12, he's probably smart enough and old enough to know how to fake it. And wouldn't you know it, we had a pediatric orthopedics lecture today, and we're having part of a lecture on ankylosing spondylitis tomorrow. Definitly don't mess around with the spine though, you wouldn't want him to end up with some more permanent back pain when a few months rest could keep him skating and doing other activities for a longer period of time.

if you find out that it is for sure spondy, i would definitely take the first doctor's advice. my sister had spondy, and two weeks ago had a posterior/lateral spinal fusion surgery done. that being said, most spondy cases DONT progress to that point. however, if he continues to skate with a fracture, it is possible that the fracture will not heal, or it will heal in the wrong position. hopefully, there is no fracture and the MRI looks good!

good luck

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Thanks for all the feedback. We did get the MRI results back the other day and we were all so happy to find out that my son doesn't have spondy. He does have an injury but a very minor one. He has a bone bruise on one of his vertebrae from a bad fall he took this summer.

Doctor said bone bruises just take a very long time to go away. Skating won't impact it either way. He'll just have some pain and/or discomfort until it completely heals.

What a relief.

Good to hear! Bone brusies do hurt. I had a bone bruise when I was a kid from rollerblading and it literally felt like I had broken the bone. Eventually, the pain faded and I was fine. But boy, does it hurt while healing!

Whew! That is really good news - I'm delighted to hear it.

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