Undoubtedly, our McHenry chronic
back pain sufferers have heard about related
paraspinal (multifidus, psoas, quadratus lumborum, erector spinae) muscle fatty
infiltrate. They are all linked together: fatty
muscle infiltration, disc degeneration, spinal stenosis, facet joint
degeneration, back pain. OrthoIllinois Chiropractic addresses all of them, too, to reduce
back pain, strengthen the spine, and improve 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 found
near the spine, the paraspinal muscles. This condition may be triggered
by aging or genetics although it can also be activated
by lifestyle issues such as poor nutrition or little
to no exercise. This condition doesn’t always trigger
symptoms, but if it does, they can include low back pain and associated
stiffness in the lower back and legs or difficulty walking due to gait disturbances. Intervertebral disc degeneration is a well-known
culprit of chronic back pain, disc inflammation, and even spinal stability. Strong,
effective paraspinal muscles assist spinal stability. With
back pain comes fatty infiltration of the paraspinal muscles that interfere
with stability. (1) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic tests for these issues carefully
during the chiropractic examination with an appreciation for the potential connection.
THE BACK PAIN AND WEAK PARASPINAL MUSCLE CONNECTION
A newer study summarized that disc
degeneration and paraspinal muscle weakness were strongly associated,
facet joint degeneration and paraspinal muscle weakness were weakly correlated,
and facet joint degeneration and disc degeneration were strongly associated.
The authors noted that the extent
of paraspinal muscle weakness rose with amount 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 extent to
which low back pain and fatty infiltration of multifidus and other paraspinal
muscles (erector spinae, psoas, quadratus lumborum) influenced
each other was somewhat contradictory – 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 future back pain)? (3)
OrthoIllinois Chiropractic keeps abreast of what the
research reports and encourages our back pain patients to bolster
the muscles that they can so that they can maintain the spine in
healing and preventing more bouts of pain as best
as possible.
CHIROPRACTIC CARE OF BACK PAIN AND MUSCLE WEAKNESS
OrthoIllinois Chiropractic realizes that low back pain
patients don’t just have pain; they also
get to endure muscle quality loss due to more
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’s the reason that rehabilitation
is so crucial alongside treatment of back pain
for pain relief and prevention. Using The Cox Technic System
of Spinal Pain Management as well as other chiropractic services,
nutrition and exercise, OrthoIllinois Chiropractic is here to help! While researchers are
still analyzing whether fatty infiltration is reversible,
OrthoIllinois Chiropractic finds the effort 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 describes the many
options open to back pain sufferers regarding healthcare providers and emphasizes the benefit of seeking a chiropractor trained in the protocols of The
Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
Schedule your McHenry chiropractic visit
to address your back pain and weakened paraspinal muscles. Relief and an enhanced
quality of life are in your future!