EJ Obiena receives medical clearance to return after a spine injury

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

EJ Obiena is back.

After two months of inactivity in the professional pole vaulting scene, the Filipino superstar is now ready to get back on track after fully recovering from a spine injury announced on October 29, 2024.

The two-time Olympian bared the good news on his official Facebook account, stating that his doctor in Italy already gave him the green signal to return to competitive pole vaulting.

However, Obiena added that he won’t be joining the remaining professional legs for the remainder of the year and will focus on getting back to shape for the first phase of the 2025 playing calendar.

Last August 28, 2024, Obiena confirmed a devastating update on his health when he suffered an injury in his spinal column during the Silesia Diamond League.

As a result of the immense pain in his back, Obiena failed to finish his final attempt in the tournament and decided to call his season off.

It was later found out that a stress fracture in his spine was revealed by the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Unfortunately, after further results in his CAT scan, the final diagnosis was confirmed to be a fracture in his L5 vertebra.

Multiple orthopedic report state that a fracture in the L5 vertebra would take six to 12 weeks to heal, and this time varies for every type of back injury.

The L5 vertebra is located in the spinal column of the lower back (lumbar) region. It consists of a vertebral body in front and an arch in the back containing bony protrusions.

Obiena was supposed to cap off his 2024 playing season with three more international competitions, the ISTAF Berlin, Zurich Diamond League, and the Diamond League Final.

“I have been MIA here because I have been focusing myself on getting back into shape and be ready by January! Here’s to the start of 2025 season!!!” Obiena wrote in his social media post.