Williamson Back Muscles Affected By Back Pain

The spine is maintained by several muscles. Back pain and degenerative spine conditions affect those muscles. Chiropractors like yours at Apple Country Chiropractic deal with both the degenerative spinal pain condition as well as the associated degenerated spine muscles. Williamson chiropractic back pain treatment plans integrate pain-relieving methods for both the spine and its musculature.

BACK PAIN AND MUSCLES’ RESPONSES

Back pain alters back muscles. Different Williamson back pain issues impact different Williamson back muscles, too. Paraspinal muscles show varied 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 noted. Increased fat infiltration of the multifidus muscle is also present in patients with lumbar radiculopathy and lumbar degenerative kyphosis. (1) In a study of 78 patients with either degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis or degenerative lumbar kyphosis, researchers documented these degenerative muscle patterns. The multifidus muscle is explained as the stabilizer of the lumbar spine segments while the erector spinae muscles are usually referred to as the stabilizers of spinal sagittal balance. Multifidus muscle degeneration was more significant in the degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis patients. Erector spinae degeneration was more significant in the degenerative lumbar kyphosis patients as well as more closely linked to the severity of spinal kyphosis curvature. (2) Continuous chronic low back pain patients 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 Williamson chiropractor at Apple Country Chiropractic pays close attention to these differences.

BACK PAIN AND BACK MUSCLES: STABILITY

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

CONTACT Apple Country Chiropractic

Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Paulette Hugulet on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. She describes 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 strength and function.