New Roads Back Muscles Affected By Back Pain

The spine is supported by several muscles. Back pain and degenerative spine disorders affect those muscles. Chiropractors like yours at New Roads Chiropractic Center deal with both the degenerative spinal pain condition as well as the associated degenerated spine muscles. New Roads chiropractic back pain treatment plans incorporate pain-relieving approaches for both the spine and its musculature.

BACK PAIN AND MUSCLES’ RESPONSES

Back pain impacts back muscles. Different New Roads back pain issues affect different New Roads back muscles, too. Paraspinal muscles show different responses to spinal degenerative conditions. Changes in the lumbar spine paraspinal muscles of low back pain patients have been described. Atrophy of the multifidus muscles in patients with back pain, lumbar radiculopathy, and lumbar degenerative kyphosis are specifically documented. Increased fat infiltration of the multifidus muscle is also seen in patients with lumbar radiculopathy and lumbar degenerative kyphosis. (1) In a report on 78 patients with either degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis or degenerative lumbar kyphosis, researchers described these degenerative muscle patterns. The multifidus muscle is explained as the stabilizer of the lumbar spine segments while the erector spinae muscles tend to be referred to as the stabilizers of spinal sagittal balance. Multifidus muscle degeneration was more significant in the patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. Erector spinae degeneration was more significant in the degenerative lumbar kyphosis patients as well as more closely correlated with the severity of spinal kyphosis curvature. (2) Continuous chronic low back pain sufferers as compared to non-continuous and recurrent low back pain sufferers were found to have higher EMG activity in erector spinae and multifidus muscles in extension. (3) Your New Roads chiropractor at New Roads Chiropractic Center takes great care in addressing these differences.

BACK PAIN AND BACK MUSCLES: STABILITY

New Roads Chiropractic Center also notes back pain and muscle response on spinal stability. Researchers explained that chronic low back pain weakens spinal stability of its sufferers. In examining the activation patterns of the latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus, and upward scapular rotation muscles of chronic LBP patients, researchers documented a significant rise in upward scapular rotation in all shoulder abduction positions on both sides. The left side was more significant than the right. Further, they found increased latissimus dorsi muscle activities and decreased gluteus maximus activities in chronic low back pain. (4) Spinal manipulation is explained as eliciting transient physiological responses of which paraspinal muscle activity and muscle spindle responses are included. (5) Your New Roads chiropractor will keep these in mind when treating your spine as well as in designing exercises to address weaknesses. 

CONTACT New Roads Chiropractic Center

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Paulette Hugulet on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. She discusses her implementation of spinal manipulation, namely the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management, for a 77-year-old patient to decrease pain and improve muscle function and strength.