Table 2. Conservative management of athletes with spondylolysis.

Authors and year	No. of patients	Method	Average duration of treatment (mo)	Mean age (y)	Average F/U (mo)	Patients with bilateral, unilateral defects	No. of vertebral level	Union rates	Outcomes	Average return to play (mo)
Micheli et al 198030	12	TLSO brace (Boston)	4–24	Adolescent	15	N/A	N/A	N/A	67% excellent, 33% good	N/A
Pettine et al 199332	1	TLSO brace and electric stimulation	6	17	22	1 bilateral	1 L4	100%	Excellent	6
Blanda et al 19937	62	Lumbosacral bracec	4	15.5	50.4	37 bilateral; 23 unilateral	53 L5, 9 L4	37%	84% excellent, 12% good, 4% fair	N/A
Fellander-Tsai and Micheli 199828	2	TLSO brace (Boston) and electric stimulation	21	16	15.5	2 bilateral	2 L5	100%	100% excellent	16.5
Sys et al 200135	28	TLSO brace (Boston)	4	17.2	13.2	9 bilateral; 11 unilateral; 8 pseudobilaterala	19 L5, 5 L4, 2 L3, 1 L2, 1 L4 and L5	Bilateral 57%; unilateral 25%; nonunion 18%	82% excellent, 11% good, 7% fair	89.3% in 5.5
d'Hemecourt et al 200227	73	TLSO brace (Boston)	6	15.7	48	35 bilateral; 30 unilateral	48 L5, 9 L4, 8 L3, 8 PEOb	N/A	77% good or excellent	N/A
Miller et al 200431	32	Combination of nonrigid and rigid braces	2.5	24	108	Patients 11/32; 7 bilateral; 4 unilateral	Patients 11/32; 7 L5, 3 L4, 1 L3	Patients 11/32; 7 bilateral nonunion; 4 unilateral union	91% good or excellent, 9% fair	2.5
Iwamoto et al 200429	40/104	Patents: 40/104; lumbosacral brace	Patents: 40/104; 5.4	20.7	Patents: 40/104; 11.4	93 bilateral; 11 unilateral	92 L5, 9 L4, 2 L3, 1 L2	N/A	Patients 40/104; 87.5% good or excellent	Patients 35/104; 5.4
Vrable and Sherman 20096	1	LSO brace, PEMF bone stimulation	1.5	15	24	1 bilateral	1 L5	100%	100% excellent	3
Sutton et al 201234	7	TLSO braced	3	20	24	N/A	N/A	N/A	29% excellent, 71% fair or poord	3
El Rassi et al 201333	132	Bracing/activity modification	3	13	48	Bilateral 105; unilateral 27	110 L5, 14 L4, 3 L3, 1 L2, 4 multiple	35%	36.4% excellent, 56.1% good, 4.5% fair, 3% poor	3

Abbreviations: F/U, follow-up; N/A, not applicable; PEMF, pulsed electromagnetic field; TLSO, thoracolumbosacral orthosis.

^aIf tracer uptake on single-photon emission computed tomography was present on both sides of one vertebra and uptake was clearly asymmetrical, the lesion was called “pseudobilateral.”

^bPosterior element overuse. Single-photon emission computed tomography scan: diffuse posterior element uptake.

^cNine patients underwent posterolateral fusion after failure of conservative management.

^dFive patients underwent surgical repair because they remained symptomatic.