Thank you for joining us for today’s livestream where we talked about a condition called spondylolisthesis. What they are, how they occur and the different variations. We’ll be going through some tips to manage the problem as well as what kind of rehabilitation you’ll need to do if you have this problem. 

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Some people have a spondylolisthesis and don’t perhaps understand exactly what it is, so we’re going to help you better understand this type of problem as well as the kind of movements you’ll need to avoid. We’ll also go through imaging and the condition’s relationship with bulging discs and spinal stenosis.  Also known as an anterolisthesis, a spondylolisthesis is where a vertebra slips forward. Retrolistehsis is where one slips backwards, but is usually in combination of one that has slipped forward. The way your spine is naturally aligned and the position of the facet joints, this prevents any vertebra slipping forwards, with the ligaments running along the spine they’re pretty stable.   

A spondylolisthesis can be graded between grade 1 and 4. It’s unlikely any of you will be anywhere between a grade 2-4, usually they’re grade 1. We’ve seen a few 3.5s over the years but usually this is as a result of a serious trauma, you know you’ve done it.  When you’re growing in your early years, we start off with a cartilage structure that later turns to bone, the facet and vertebra meet to form a pars interarticularis. 

If there’s a cartilage part of this that hasn’t developed into bone, this is a weakness that can later leave you more susceptible to shearing forces.  An MRI can be an un-useful version of imaging with this type of problem as a spondylolisthesis can actually slide back into its normal position when you’re lying down, which means it won’t be detected. Using upright X-ray imaging will detect this type of problem.   

What you need to avoid: any kind of backward bending like the cobra exercise will not be helpful, avoiding yoga for the meantime will be helpful when you’re first recovering. The towel exercise we frequently recommend can also be more challenging with this condition. Tentatively try it for around 20-30 seconds and build it up to the 3-5 minutes as it can be more uncomfortable at first. Avoid forward bending exercises like knee hugs.

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