Mr. Sugiyama’s Story
What 20 Years with L5 Spondylolysis Taught Me About Bone and Pain
Key Takeaways
- My experience
- At age 12, while playing soccer, I was diagnosed with L5 lumbar spondylolysis—a stress fracture in the lowest vertebra of the lower back—and have spent 20 years learning how my body works.
- What I discovered
- Even though the bone remains separated on X-rays, some days are completely pain-free. What drives the pain is less the bone itself than protective muscle guarding and stiffness in the hips and upper back.
- What helps today
- Restoring mobility to the hips and rib cage while rebuilding deep abdominal support—starting at home with gentle breathing in a neutral-spine position.
1. A Stress Fracture in My Lower Back at Age 12
When I was 12 and playing youth soccer, I was diagnosed with L5 lumbar spondylolysis—a condition in which a portion of the fifth lumbar vertebra at the base of the spine separates due to a repetitive stress fracture.
Spondylolysis often develops during growth spurts in young athletes whose sports involve repeated back extension and rotation.
2. The Bone Is Still Separated—Yet Many Days Are Pain-Free
For the past 20 years since that fracture, I have paid close attention to my own lower back.
The turning point came during my four years studying anatomy, neurology, and biomechanics at the Tokyo College of Chiropractic. What had puzzled me for years finally began to make sense:
On an X-ray, my L5 vertebra is still separated today. Yet while some days my back felt heavy, on many other days I felt no pain at all.
If pain came solely from the separated bone, it would hurt the same way every single day. The reason it changes is that pain is shaped by much more than bone shape alone.
What appears on an image and the pain you actually feel do not always match. That realization remains the foundation of how I look at every client’s body today.
3. Why Load Concentrates on the Lowest Lumbar Vertebra
The lumbar spine is not built for wide rotation
The lumbar vertebrae are well suited for bending forward and backward, but each lumbar joint allows only a few degrees of rotation. Twisting the torso is meant to be handled primarily by the thoracic spine (mid and upper back) above and the hip joints below.
When the hips stiffen or the upper back rounds and loses mobility, the rotational and extension forces that should be shared across the body concentrate on the lowest vertebra—L5.
Protective muscle guarding adds to the ache
Where a vertebra is separated, passive ligament support is reduced. To protect the area, surrounding muscles automatically tighten up like a corset. Much of the heavy, lingering ache I used to feel came from this protective muscle guarding.
4. Three Things to Avoid If You Have Spondylolysis
Well-intentioned stretches or exercises can sometimes irritate a sensitive lower back. I recommend avoiding the following:
- Deep back-arching stretches: Hyperextending the lower back increases compressive load on the separated segment.
- Pressing hard into the sore lower back: Aggressively rubbing muscles that are guarding the spine can make them brace even harder.
- Momentum sit-ups: Fast sit-ups pull strongly on the hip flexors and arch the lumbar spine.
5. What We Focus On at Rooton
Manual care cannot fuse a separated bone back together. Instead, our goal at Rooton is a body where load does not concentrate on the lower back, even with the bone as it is. Depending on your assessment, care typically focuses on four steps:
- Releasing the front of the hips and abdomen: Gently easing the front-line tension that pulls the lumbar spine forward.
- Restoring thoracic and rib-cage mobility: Helping the upper back rotate and extend so the lower back does not have to compensate.
- Rebuilding deep abdominal support: Practicing gentle breathing that activates the deep transverse abdominis muscle.
- Using light-force instruments when needed: When protective guarding is strong, we use gentle tools like the Activator instrument.
6. 1-Minute Home Care: Spine-Neutral Breathing
1-Minute Self-Care
1. Lie on your back and rest your calves on the seat of a chair or sofa so your hips and knees bend at about 90 degrees.
2. This position naturally flattens excessive lumbar arch and takes load off the lower spine.
3. Rest both hands on your lower abdomen, inhale slowly through your nose to gently expand your belly, and exhale long and softly through your mouth for about 1 minute.
*Stop immediately if you notice any increase in pain or numbness.
7. If You Feel Discouraged by an X-Ray Result
Many people feel ready to give up sports or activities they love after seeing a bone change on an X-ray.
My own L5 vertebra is still separated today. Yet 20 years of living with it taught me that even when you cannot change the shape of a bone, you can change how your body distributes load every day.
*Always consult your physician regarding imaging findings and whether surgical care is needed. This article shares my personal experience and general biomechanical concepts, and individual responses vary.
