Column How to sleep comfortably when you’ve been diagnosed with spondylolisthesis?

schedule

06.23.2025

Symptoms and Causes of spondylolisthesis

Lumbar spondylolisthesis is a condition in which the vertebrae have shifted from their normal position in the lumbar region.

Symptoms of spondylolisthesis

Mild lumbar spondylolisthesis may be asymptomatic, and the patient may find that the lumbar spondylolisthesis has progressed only when symptoms begin to appear and he is finally examined by a specialist.

The main symptoms of lumbar spondylolisthesis are back pain, pain and numbness in the buttocks and lower limbs. The appearance of symptoms depends on the degree of instability of the spondylolisthesis, the degree of degeneration of the intervertebral or separated area, and the location and degree of the nerve compression.

One of the characteristic symptoms of spondylolisthesis is numbness and pain in the buttocks and lower limbs that appears when walking. This is called intermittent claudication and a characteristic of it is that the patient canwalk again after taking a short break.

Degenerative spondylolisthesis can also be accompanied by spinal stenosis, and symptoms of stenosis such as leg pain, numbness, intermittent claudication, and urinary problems.

Causes of spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis often happens in people who have been playing sports and doing other activities from a young age, and with aging, the tissues that hold the lumbar spine in place, such as intervertebral discs, ligaments, and joints, degenerate, resulting in a loss of stability in the lumbar spine.

Recent research indicates that intervertebral disc degeneration is a factor that causes spondylolisthesis. *1

Degeneration of the intervertebral discs places strain on the spine and intervertebral joints, causing instability of the bones and other parts of the spine, which in turn causes spondylolisthesis.

*1 Source: I. Akkawi, H. Zmerly. Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: A Narrative Review. Acta Biomedica, vol. 92, No.6, 2021.

How to sleep when you have spondylolisthesis

For people sleeping on the side

When sleeping on your side, you can curl your body slightly and place a folded towel under your waist. This will support the lumbar spine and allow you to sleep without putting strain on your legs and back.

If the towel shifts places, use a stomach band and place a small towel under the narrow part of your waist.

For people sleeping on the back

It is best to avoid lying on your back if you have spondylolisthesis, as this posture will cause your lower back to arch. If other sleeping positions are really too difficult, you can place a cushion under your calves or knees to keep your knees up. This will allow the lower back to float slightly and reduce pain.

If the cushion shifts in your sleep, place it under your Japanese floor mat.

Points of caution when sleeping with spondylolisthesis

Moving to turn over in bed when suffering from spondylolisthesis can aggravate the pain. When turning in bed, flex deeply your knees and hip joints and use your abdominal muscles a little in order to move your upper and lower body. This will allow you to turn over without increased pain.

It is best to avoid sleeping on your belly if you have spondylolisthesis. This is because sleeping in prone position increases the risk of back strain.

If you have lumbar spondylolisthesis, avoid overly soft futon and Japanese-style mats. A firm mattress with high resilience will ptrevent the body from sinking down and will also support the back, reducing the strain on the lower back during sleep.

If you suffer from spondylolisthesis, it is also crucial to find a fundamental treatment

Our clinics perform the Florence and Q Florence method to treat spondylolisthesis.

The Florence and Q Florence methods are minimally invasive treatments with minimal risk.

Under partial anesthesia and sedation, a device is percutaneously inserted to widen the narrowed spinal canal.

The device is inserted to stabilize the vertebrae while conserving spinal rotation and flexion, widening the spinal canal and reducing disc protrusion and the thickening of the ligamentum flavum. The pain is relieved by widening the narrowed spinal canal.