Undoubtedly, our Fort Wayne chronic
back pain sufferers have read about associated
paraspinal (multifidus, psoas, quadratus lumborum, erector spinae) muscle fatty
infiltrate. They are all tied together: fatty
muscle infiltration, disc degeneration, spinal stenosis, facet joint
degeneration, back pain. Aaron Chiropractic Clinic addresses all of them, too, to reduce
back pain, improve 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 while it can also be triggered
by lifestyle issues such as poor nutrition or little
to no exercise. This condition does not 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 because
of 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) Aaron Chiropractic Clinic tests for these issues thoroughly
during the chiropractic examination with an understanding
of this the potential connection.
THE BACK PAIN AND WEAK PARASPINAL MUSCLE CONNECTION
A recent 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 correlated.
It stated that the level
of paraspinal muscle weakness increased with level
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) impacted
each other was somewhat conflicting – 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 imminent back pain)? (3)
Aaron Chiropractic Clinic keeps abreast of published research and encourages our back pain patients to strengthen
the muscles that they can so that they can support the spine in
healing and preventing future episodes of pain as best
as possible.
CHIROPRACTIC CARE OF BACK PAIN AND MUSCLE WEAKNESS
Aaron Chiropractic Clinic knows that low back pain
patients do not just suffer pain; they also
get to deal with muscle quality loss due to more
fatty infiltration of the paraspinal muscles. The extent of muscle loss is highly correlated with the severity of the back pain and
related dysfunction. (4) That is the reason that exercise
is so important in addition to treatment of back pain
for pain relief and prevention. Implementing The Cox Technic System
of Spinal Pain Management as well as other chiropractic services,
nutrition and exercise, Aaron Chiropractic Clinic is here to help! While researchers are
still studying whether fatty infiltration is reversible,
Aaron Chiropractic Clinic sees the attempt to tone and improve
strength a worthwhile effort.
Listen to this PODCAST
with Dr. Kurt Olding on
The Back Doctors Podcast
with Dr. Michael Johnson as he details the many
options open to back pain sufferers regarding healthcare providers and highlights the benefit of being
under the care of a chiropractor trained in the protocols of The
Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.
CONTACT Aaron Chiropractic Clinic
Schedule your Fort Wayne chiropractic visit
to address your back pain and weakened paraspinal muscles. Relief and a better
quality of life are ahead for you!