Objective To investigate the short-term effect of direct repair(DR)and conservative treatment on young patients with lumbar spondylolysis.Methods A total of 151 young patients with lumbar spondylolysis who were treated in our hospital from January 2018 to December 2019 were selected as the research objects.According to the treatment methods,the patients were divided into non operative group(n =79,traditional conservative treatment)and the operative group(n =72,screw fixation for direct repair).The vis-ual analogue score(VAS),Oswestry disability index(ODI),the 12-items short form health survey(SF-12)and clinical symptoms of the two groups were observed.The incidence of lumbar spondylolisthesis and the rate of defect healing were also detected.Results VAS of the two groups 1 month,3 months,6 months,12 months after the operation were significantly lower than those before operation(P<0.05),but there was no significant difference in VAS scores of the two groups 1 month,3 months,6 months,12 months(P>0.05).ODI of the twogroups1 month,3 months,6 monthsand 12 months after the operation showed a decreasing trend,but SF-12 showed an increasing trend(P<0.05).There was no significant difference in ODI and SF-12 between the two groups 1 month,3 months,6 months and 12 months after grouping(P>0.05).One year after grouping,the incidence of lumbar spondylolisthesis in the non-surgical group was higher than that in the surgical group(P<0.05).The isthmus healing rate(75.00%)in the operation group was significantly higher than that in the non-operation group(P<0.05).The incidence of complications in the operative group was higher than that in the non operative group(P<0.05).Conclusion There is no significant difference in the short-term effects of DR and conservative treatment on lumbar function,dysfunction and quality of life.The complications of Dr operation are more than those of conservative treatment,but Dr operation has a positive effect on inhibiting the forward movement of lesion segment.