Pain Generators in Spondylolisthesis

Spine care providers often treat patients with spondylolisthesis, which is slippage of a vertebra. There are different types of spondylolisthesis. Patients can have pain arising from multiple different pain generators associated with the different types of spondylolisthesis. In this chapter, we review the pathophysiology that leads to pain in patients with spondylolisthesis. We first review the pain generators that are common to all patients with spinal pathology. In the second part of the chapter, we review the pain generators that are unique to each type of spondylolisthesis. After reading this chapter, the reader should gain a better understanding of the pain generators in patients with spondylolisthesis. A better appreciation for the different pain generators will allow for more effective operative and nonoperative treatment.