Help for McHenry Back Pain's Fatty Paraspinal Muscles
If you experience chronic back pain, like many other McHenry back pain patients, chances are you’ve heard of paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate. This spinal issue can cause a great deal of discomfort and can even result in gait disturbances. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate and how it is associated with lumbar spinal stenosis and its treatment with spinal manipulation offered at OrthoIllinois Chiropractic.
WHAT IS PARASPINAL MUSCLE FATTY INFILTRATE?
Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate is an accumulation of fat within the muscle tissues around the spine. Genetics or aging are often culprits of this condition, but it can also be activated by lifestyle factors such as 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 (degenerated) impacted lumbar spinal stenosis symptomatology. (1) One of the most common spinal conditions impacting more than 500 million people over 65 years old, lumbar spinal stenosis, is linked to distorted gait as gait depends on strong muscle activity. (2) McHenry chiropractic patients know OrthoIllinois Chiropractic checks for gait issues during our chiropractic exam.
PARASPINAL FATTY INFILTRATE AND LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS
Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate can be related to lumbar spinal stenosis—a narrowing of the spinal canal that results in lower back pain and even pain down the legs by exerting pressure on spinal nerves – and resultant McHenry back pain. Intervertebral disc degeneration and fatty-infiltrated paraspinal muscles – multifidus, erector spinae, etc. – are linked and known to contribute to chronic low back pain and its issues: the more fat, the more degeneration. (3) Other researchers concured that fat infiltration of the paraspinal muscles like the multifidus muscle may be associated with lower back pain when it was not associated with other factors like a person with back pain being older, male, or having a higher BMI. (4) OrthoIllinois Chiropractic offers relieving 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 significantly reduced spinal stiffness and increased the multifidus muscle thickness ratio which maintained for more than 7 days for spinal manipulation responders. (5) Your McHenry chiropractor uses the latter 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 OrthoIllinois Chiropractic
Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate is a common condition that can trigger a range of issues including 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 McHenry chiropractor at OrthoIllinois Chiropractic about your treatment options so you can find relief as quickly as possible. Make your appointment today!
