36 former competitive artistic women gymnasts and 10 general women gymnasts were examined after at least three years following their withdrawal from sports, for any pathological changes in their vertebral column. Anamnesis revealed that 64% of the artistic gymnasts complained of back pain during competitive sports, and even after having given it up there were still 61% complaining. X-ray film showed degenerative changes of the vertebral bodies and the intervertebral joints in 51.4%. Incidence of spondylolysis was 31.4% and hence two and a half times above that among the normal population. In 22 cases where x-ray films were available from the time they had been active, we found an increase rate of 36.4% in respect of spondylolysis, a worsening of scoliosis by 22.7% and an increase in degenerative changes at the minor vertebral joints by 31.8%.