Lumbar spine injuries in pediatric and adolescent athletes

During the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in sports participation by pediatric athletes. Spinal injuries thus have become a great concern. The unique nature of the pediatric spine should be well-rec - ognized and low back pain in a pediatric athlete should therefore be taken seriously and evaluated thoroughly. In this review article sports-related lumbar spine problems will be covered including overuse injuries, spondylolysis, pars stress fractures, spondylolysthesis, and lumbar disc herniation. Early identification of these problems will eventually minimize these injuries.