If you experience chronic back pain, like
many other Burlington and Hamilton back pain sufferers, odds
are you’ve heard of paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate. This spinal
condition can cause a great deal of discomfort and can even
result in gait disturbances. In this blog post, we'll look more
closely at paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate and how it
is related to lumbar spinal stenosis and its treatment
with spinal manipulation available at Spinal Care Clinic.
WHAT IS PARASPINAL MUSCLE FATTY INFILTRATE?
Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate is a build-up of fat within the tissues of the muscles located
near the spine. Genetics or aging are often culprits of this condition,
but it can
also be triggered by lifestyle factors like poor nutrition or lack of exercise. It is
important to note that paraspinal fatty muscle infiltrate
does not always cause symptoms, but if it does, they can include
low back pain, stiffness in the lower back and legs, or difficulty walking due
to gait disturbances as gait depends on hip muscles
like the gluteus medius. A recent report described how
the extent to which the gluteus medius is atrophied (weakened)
influenced lumbar spinal stenosis symptomatology. (1) A
leading spinal condition
affecting more than 500 million people over 65 years old,
lumbar spinal stenosis, is associated with distorted
gait as gait depends on robust muscle activity. (2)
Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic patients know Spinal Care Clinic evaluates gait
in all our patients during our chiropractic exam.
PARASPINAL FATTY INFILTRATE AND LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS
Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate can be associated
with lumbar spinal stenosis—a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on nerve roots and causes
pain and other symptoms in the lower back and legs – and resultant
Burlington and Hamilton back pain. Intervertebral disc degeneration and
fatty-infiltrated paraspinal muscles – multifidus, erector spinae, etc. – are related
and found to cause chronic low back pain and related
issues: the fattier, the more degenerated.
(3) Other researchers agreed that fat infiltration of the
paraspinal muscles like the multifidus muscle may be associated
with lower back pain when it was not linked to other
factors like a person with back pain being
older, male, or having a higher BMI]78]. (4) Spinal Care Clinic offers alleviating
chiropractic treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis and its back pain.
LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS & SPINAL MANIPULATION
There are various treatment options for spinal stenosis influenced by the
severity and the healthcare practitioner consulted from nutrition,
surgery, exercise, drugs, and/or
spinal manipulation and mobilization. One study reported
that one treatment of spinal manipulation was
found to significantly decrease spinal
stiffness and enhanced the multifidus muscle thickness ratio that
maintained for more than 7 days for spinal manipulation
responders. (5) Your Burlington and Hamilton chiropractor uses such care for back pain relief, especially the
well-researched chiropractic Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management. Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with
Dr. Michael Johnson as he details how The
Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management addresses back pain and
affiliated muscles.
CONTACT Spinal Care Clinic
Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate is a common condition
that can trigger a range of issues involving low
back pain, stiffness in the lower body, and gait disturbances. It is sometimes
associated with lumbar spinal stenosis. If you have any
symptoms associated with paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate or
lumbar spinal stenosis, it's important to speak with
your Burlington and Hamilton chiropractor at Spinal Care Clinic about your treatment
options so you can find relief as quickly as possible.
Make your appointment today!