Immediate Versus Delayed Physical Therapy for Active Lumbar Spondylolysis in Adolescent Athletes: A Multicenter Randomized Trial

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who work with adolescent athletes who have low back pain, including those in pediatric sports medicine, outpatient orthopedics, school-based and club sport settings. Physical therapists carry the evaluation, diagnosis and plan-of-care decisions described here; physical therapist assistants will find the same findings useful for carrying out the plan of care under the direction of the supervising physical therapist.

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in outpatient orthopedic, pediatric and sports rehabilitation settings, plus athletic training and sports medicine colleagues who share care of young athletes with bone stress injuries of the lumbar spine.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Intermediate

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

Selhorst M, Sweeney E, Martin LC, Yang J, Benedict J, Brna M, Spondylolysis Physician Group, Fischer AN. Immediate physical therapy is beneficial for adolescent athletes with active lumbar spondylolysis: a multicentre randomised trial. Br J Sports Med. 2026;60(2):125–132. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2025-110606. PMID: 41402030. PMCID: PMC12911598. Trial registration: NCT05505981.

This course reports what this single trial asked, how it was run, what it found and what its authors concluded. No claim, number or recommendation is added beyond what appears in that report.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe the population, the design and the two treatment approaches compared in this multicenter randomized trial of adolescent athletes with active lumbar spondylolysis.
2. State what the trial found for pain and function at one month, time to return to sport, recurrence of low back pain over 12 months, and healing on follow-up imaging.
3. Explain the limitations the authors reported and the conclusion they drew about when physical therapy was started after diagnosis.

1. Start Here: How This Course Works
2. Podcast: Immediate Physical Therapy for Adolescent Lumbar Spondylolysis (about nine minutes)
3. Active Lumbar Spondylolysis in Adolescent Athletes: Why the Trial Was Done
4. Who Took Part and How the Two Programs Differed
5. Pain, Function and Time Out of Sport: The Main Results
6. Imaging, Muscle Size, Mood and the Study's Limits
7. What the Authors Concluded and How It Might Apply in Practice
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-Test and Course Evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. Selhorst M, Sweeney E, Martin LC, Yang J, Benedict J, Brna M, Spondylolysis Physician Group, Fischer AN. Immediate physical therapy is beneficial for adolescent athletes with active lumbar spondylolysis: a multicentre randomised trial. Br J Sports Med. 2026;60(2):125–132. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2025-110606. PMID: 41402030. PMCID: PMC12911598. Trial registration: NCT05505981.
2. This course reports what this single trial asked, how it was run, what it found and what its authors concluded. No claim, number or recommendation is added beyond what appears in that report.