Undoubtedly, our Burlington and Hamilton chronic
back pain sufferers have read about related
paraspinal (multifidus, psoas, quadratus lumborum, erector spinae) muscle fatty
infiltrate. They’re all tied together: fatty
muscle infiltration, disc degeneration, spinal stenosis, facet joint
degeneration, back pain. Spinal Care Clinic addresses all of them, too, to reduce
back pain, strengthen the spine, and enhance your
quality of life.
WHAT IS PARASPINAL MUSCLE FATTY INFILTRATE?
Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate is the growth of fat within the tissue of the muscles located
near the spine, the paraspinal muscles. This condition may be triggered
by aging or genetics although it can also be activated
by lifestyle factors such as poor nutrition or lack of exercise. This condition doesn’t always produce
symptoms, but if it does, they can include low back pain and related
stiffness in the lower back and legs or difficulty walking due to gait disturbances. Intervertebral disc degeneration is a well-recognized
culprit of chronic back pain, disc inflammation, and even spinal stability. Strong,
well-functioning paraspinal muscles assist spinal stability. With
back pain comes fatty infiltration of the paraspinal muscles that interfere
with that. (1) Spinal Care Clinic tests for these issues thoroughly
during the chiropractic examination with an understanding
of this the potential connection.
THE BACK PAIN AND WEAK PARASPINAL MUSCLE CONNECTION
A newer study concluded that disc
degeneration and paraspinal muscle weakness were strongly associated,
facet joint degeneration and paraspinal muscle weakness were weakly associated,
and facet joint degeneration and disc degeneration were strongly associated.
It noted that the amount
of paraspinal muscle weakness increased with level
of lumbar disc degeneration and facet joint degeneration while fatty
infiltration of the multifidus paraspinal muscle was susceptible
to weight. (2) Further, the published literature on the degree to
which low back pain and fatty infiltration of multifidus and other paraspinal
muscles (erector spinae, psoas, quadratus lumborum) impacted
each other was somewhat conflicting – which comes first
(pain or fatty infiltrate), can fatty infiltrate be reversed, is
one predictive of the other (back pain that there is fatty infiltrate or fatty
infiltrate that indicates imminent back pain)? (3)
Spinal Care Clinic keeps abreast of what the
research reports and encourages our back pain patients to strengthen
the muscles that they can so that they can support the spine in
healing and preventing more bouts of pain as best
as possible.
CHIROPRACTIC CARE OF BACK PAIN AND MUSCLE WEAKNESS
Spinal Care Clinic realizes that low back pain
patients do not just suffer pain; they also
get to experience muscle quality loss due to increased
fatty infiltration of the paraspinal muscles. Just
how much loss is highly correlated with the severity of the back pain and
related dysfunction. (4) That is the reason that exercise
is so important in addition to treatment of back pain
for pain relief and prevention. Implementing The Cox Technic System
of Spinal Pain Management in addition to other chiropractic services,
nutrition and exercise, Spinal Care Clinic is here to help! While researchers are
still studying whether fatty infiltration is changeable,
Spinal Care Clinic sees the attempt to tone and strengthen a worthwhile effort.
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Kurt Olding on
The Back Doctors Podcast
with Dr. Michael Johnson as he details the multitude of
options available to back pain sufferers regarding healthcare providers and highlights the benefit of being
under the care of a chiropractor trained in the protocols of The
Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Spinal Care Clinic
Make your Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic visit
to address your back pain and weakened paraspinal muscles. Relief and a better
quality of life are in your future!