Minimally invasive robot-assisted pars fracture surgery enabled most adolescent patients to return to sports in as little as six weeks, researchers with New York City-based Hospital for Special Surgery found.
The retrospective study focused on nine nine adolescent patients with lumbar spondylolysis who had robot-assisted pars repair at HSS using the single-screw technique, according to a Nov. 16 news release. After surgery they were in an eight-week physical therapy program to reintroduce them to sport-specific exercises.
Five patients returned to the same level or higher of sports after a mean follow-up of 11.4 months. One patient had residual back pain, and three had CT scans at 12 months showing union of the fracture.
“This safe and effective procedure is changing the way the medical community thinks about these injuries,” Sheeraz Qureshi, MD, Co-Chief of HSS Spine, said in the release. “We are moving away from ‘do nothing for 6 weeks’ to a more elegant, proactive solution. Early minimally invasive spine surgery can prevent future complications. We’re not only caring for patients while they are young, but also helping them in the long run.”
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