title: Stress fracture of the thoracic spine in an elite rhythmic gymnast: A case report.
abstract: Spondylolysis, a defect or stress fracture of the vertebral pars interarticularis, occurs most frequently in the lower lumbar spine and occasionally in the cervical spine, but is extremely rare in the thoracic spine. We report the case of a 17 year-old girl, an elite rhythmic gymnast, who reported with early-stage thoracic spondylolysis at T10 and T11 levels. Physicians should be aware that performance of unusual athletic movements, such as those by gymnasts, may lead to spondylolysis in rare locations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University Graduate School.
authors.forename: Subash C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Jha
authors.forename: Toshinori
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Mika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hangai
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Toyota
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fukuta
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nagamachi
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sairyo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D015775:Fractures, Stress / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D006173:Gymnastics / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011859:Radiography; D013169:Spondylolysis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000209:etiology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000293:injuries*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed