Lumbar Spondylolysis After Posterior Corrective Fusion for Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Report of Two Cases and Literature Review

After corrective surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), patients can return to sports activities without restrictions. While there have been many reports of long-term disc degeneration between adjacent segments after posterior corrective fusion, the effects of sports activities on adjacent segments after corrective fusion surgery are not well understood. Particularly, cases of acquired spondylolysis after long fusion surgeries for scoliosis are rare. In this report, we present two cases of AIS in which patients continued to play badminton at a high-performance level following posterior corrective fusion surgery and developed lumbar spondylolysis in the lower instrumented adjacent vertebrae. We also discuss the factors that should be considered when returning to sports after corrective posterior fusion surgery for AIS.