Ed Clarke

If you work with adolescents, particularly athletic youngsters, you should be aware of pars interarticularis injuries. The pars interarticularis is the segment of bone bounded by the lamina, pedicle, inferior articular process, and superior articular process of each vertebra1. Research over the last 35 years has shown that adolescents involved in activities that involve repetitive extension and combined extension and rotation2,3 are at higher risk of experiencing this injury. Therefore, it is no surprise that athletes are at a higher risk than the general population.