Retrolisthesis Can Result from Back Injury

2. Grading

Physicians use various grading methods to describe the severity of each retrolisthesis slip. Because the vertebrae move backward, they cannot use the grading methods from other spine conditions, such as spondylolisthesis. Instead, doctors use direct millimeter measurements to describe the amount of slippage. Alternatively, they will grade the slippage from 1 to 4, depending on the percentage of backward movement of the foramen, the passages in the spine.