Pediatric Return to Sports After Spinal Surgery

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Orthopedics
• Sports Medicine
• Spinal Surgery

Background:

• Pediatric athletes often have high levels of physical activity.
• Return to sport is a significant postoperative concern for young patients and their families.
• Limited literature exists on postoperative return to sport guidelines for pediatric spinal conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current literature on return to play after surgical treatment of common pediatric spinal conditions.
• To identify trends and controversies in postoperative return to sport recommendations.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive PubMed search was conducted for English-language articles from 1980 to 2015.
• Included studies focused on surgical treatment of pediatric acute disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, and scoliosis.
• Reference lists of identified articles were also reviewed.

Main Results:

• No established guidelines exist for return to play after pediatric spinal surgery.
• Most pediatric patients experience good outcomes after lumbar discectomy, with return to full activity typically at 8-12 weeks.
• Return to contact/collision sports after spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, or scoliosis surgery remains controversial, with varied timelines for noncontact and contact sports.

Conclusions:

• There is a significant lack of evidence-based guidance for pediatric spinal surgery return to sport decisions.
• Individualized patient assessment is paramount for determining safe return to athletic participation.
• Further research is needed to establish clear postoperative return to play protocols.