Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 6, 2026

C-arm-Free Simultaneous OLIF51 and Percutaneous Pedicle Screw Fixation in a Single Lateral Position
Published on: September 16, 2022
Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis: what the primary care provider should know
1(Family Nurse Practitioner), Orthopedic Spine Clinic, Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas, Texas (Professor), Texas Woman's University, T. Boone Pickens Institute of Health Sciences - Dallas Center, Dallas, Texas (Professor), HOMES Program, Parkland Health and Hospital System, Dallas, Texas.
Purpose:
To provide nurse practitioners (NPs) with an overview of spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, including the pathophysiology and etiology, incidence and prevalence, clinical presentation, diagnosis and differentials, management, and prognosis for these conditions.
Data Sources:
Selected research, reviews, and clinical articles, and the authors' experience.
Conclusions:
Spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis are two common and confusing diagnoses identified by healthcare providers in the treatment of low back pain. Symptoms can vary depending on the degree of disarticulation with radiculopathy occurring in advanced grades of spondylolisthesis. Standing, lateral lumbosacral radiographs remain the gold standard for diagnosis. The majority of patients will improve with conservative treatments. Surgical options are warranted after 6 months of failed conservative treatments for patients with radiculopathy, neurogenic claudication, progressive neurological deficits, high-grade slips, or bladder and bowel symptoms.
Implications For Practice:
NPs can distinguish these diagnoses and perform appropriate conservative management prior to referral to specialists for surgical evaluation. NPs are important providers in interdisciplinary care by assisting patients with both psychosocial and physical management of their back pain.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Secondary Healthcare System
Fractures: Bone Repair
Minor fractures with no bone displacement are treated by immobilizing the fractured bone using a cast or splint. However, in the case of fractures with displaced bones, the broken bones are repositioned before immobilization to ensure successful healing without deformation and loss of function. The realignment of fractured bone ends is performed through a process called reduction. If the...
Vertebral Column: Regions and Curvature
Regions of the Vertebral Column
In an adult, the spine is subdivided into five regions: the cervical, the thoracic, the lumbar, the sacral, and the coccygeal region. The spine initially develops as a series of 33 vertebrae; after 20 years of age, the nine bones in the sacral region, five sacral, and four coccygeal bones fuse to form...
Herniated Intervertebral Disc l: Introduction
Degenerative Disc Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Secondary Spinal Cord Injury llI: Pathophysiology

