Our 14-year-old daughter is a top basketball player. But she’s out of the game now because of a back injury. The doctors call it spondylolysis. She’s wearing a back brace and sitting on the bench. How long will it take to recover from this type of problem?

Spondylolysis is a medical term to describe a stress fracture of a supporting column of bone in the vertebra called the pars interarticularis. The most common place for this type of fracture is at the last lumbar level (L5).

Once the fracture occurs, the body sets up a healing response. Bone fills in around the fracture site forming a bone callus or osteophyte. There is usually bleeding around the fracture site forming a hematoma (pocket of blood) and a local response with swelling (edema) as the immune system sets up a healing inflammatory response.

Most bone fractures take four to six weeks to heal. But fractures of the spine take longer. It’s more difficult to immobilize the area. The brace will help and should be worn as instructed. Usually, X-rays or more advanced imaging studies such as CT scans or MRIs will be done periodically to document the healing process. Studies show the spondylolysis will heal, the hematoma and edema will resolve (go away). This can take four to six months from start to finish.

But the good news is that surgery usually isn’t required. Young athletes can and do heal spontaneously. For this reason, the condition is referred to as self-limiting. Your daughter may have to sit out the rest of the season, but she should be able to get back into the game with no further problems.