Publication:

Return to sport after lumbar spine surgery: a comprehensive review

Spinal pathologies are a significant challenge for athletes, often affecting performance and threatening career longevity. This review summarizes current evidence on return-to-sport (RTS) outcomes following lumbar spine surgeries, focusing on procedures such as microdiscectomy, spinal fusion and stabilization. Lumbar microdiscectomy demonstrates high RTS rates, with recovery averaging 5-6 months, while lumbar fusion poses greater challenges, particularly in high-impact sports, with recovery often exceeding 8-12 months. Pediatric and adolescent athletes show promising RTS outcomes, with up to 96% resuming pre-surgical performance within a year. Key factors influencing successful RTS include the type of surgery, sport-specific demands and adherence to structured rehabilitation protocols emphasizing trunk stabilization and core strength.