Does spondylolisthesis always need surgery?

No. Low-grade slips are commonly managed with injections and core strengthening. Surgery is for instability or severe nerve compression.

Spondylolisthesis Treatment in Uijeongbu, Korea

In short: One vertebra slipping forward over the one below, causing back pain and sometimes nerve compression in the legs.

What is Spondylolisthesis?

Spondylolisthesis occurs when a vertebra slips forward relative to its neighbour, usually at L4–5 (degenerative) or L5–S1 (from a stress fracture). It can cause mechanical back pain and narrow the canal, producing stenosis-like leg symptoms.

Common symptoms

Low back pain worse on standing
Tight hamstrings
Leg pain or numbness
Pain on bending backwards

What causes it?

Degenerative joint changes
Stress fracture (spondylolysis)
Ligament laxity

How it is diagnosed at Yonsei Leaders

Standing X-rays including flexion and extension views, and MRI for nerve compression.

Non-surgical treatment options

C-Arm Guided Spinal Injection: A spinal injection delivered under live X-ray (C-Arm) guidance so medication reaches the exact inflamed nerve or joint, with no incision and no…
Selective Spinal Nerve Block: An injection that calms an irritated spinal nerve root, confirmed on C-Arm imaging, to reduce radiating pain into the arm or leg.
Rehabilitation and Corrective Exercise: Guided strengthening, stabilisation and mobility exercise to rebuild support around the spine and joints and prevent pain from returning.
Prolotherapy: An injection treatment that stimulates the body's own repair of weakened ligaments and tendons around the spine, limb joints and jaw.

Your plan is tailored after examination; many patients combine a targeted procedure with manual therapy and exercise for longer-lasting results.

Self-care tips

Core stabilisation exercises
Avoid heavy back extension

Book: call 031-874-7500. Yonsei Leaders Neurosurgery Clinic, 3F Yugyeong Bldg II, 181 Hoeryong-ro, Uijeongbu, Korea, 1 minute from Balgok Station Exit 2. Open Mon–Fri 09:00–20:00, Sat 09:00–14:00. See directions and international patient help.

Yonsei Leaders Neurosurgery