Low back pain associated with exercise is common, especially in sports requiring repetitive flexion, extension and rotation. Utilisation of appropriate, clinically guided imaging modalities and sequences will assist in obtaining an accurate diagnosis to guide management.

A right arm male cricket fast bowler in his early 20s presented with a 2-week history of left lower lumbar pain, exacerbated by extension and rotation. There were no associated neurological symptoms. On examination, there was tenderness to palpation within the left lumbar region at the L5–S1 level.

MRI examination at 1.5T was performed demonstrating moderate bone marrow oedema within the left L5 superior facet and pedicle on the short tau inversion recovery sequence (figure 1A). Thin-slice sagittal inverted T1 VIBE (three-dimensional (3D) volumetric interpolated breath hold examination; figure 1B) and axial inverted T1 VIBE images (figure 1C) demonstrated an incomplete fracture …