Spondylolysis is a break in the bone connecting the facet joints and is especially common for people engaged in athletics that involve considerable strain on the back. Spinal fusion involving fusing together the vertebrae around where the break has occurred is the common treatment option. There is no way to install the hardware to fuse the spine without cutting through the critical muscles and fascia that stabilize the spine. As a result, spinal fusions create spinal instability around the site of the fusion. Spinal fusions have additionally been shown over time to be no more effective than sham or placebo surgeries while complications occur in 36% of fusion patients.