Manchester Back Muscles Affected By Back Pain
The spine is maintained by many muscles. Back pain and degenerative spine conditions impact those muscles. Chiropractors like yours at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries address both the degenerative spinal pain condition and the associated degenerated spine muscles. Manchester chiropractic back pain treatment plans integrate pain-relieving approaches for both the spine and its musculature.
BACK PAIN AND MUSCLES’ RESPONSES
Back pain alters back muscles. Different Manchester back pain conditions impact different Manchester back muscles, too. Paraspinal muscles exhibit different responses to spinal degenerative conditions. Alterations in the lumbar spine paraspinal muscles of low back pain patients have been detailed. Wasting of the multifidus muscles in patients with back pain, lumbar radiculopathy, and lumbar degenerative kyphosis are particularly documented. Intensified 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 described these degenerative muscle patterns. The multifidus muscle is seen 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 degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis patients. Erector spinae degeneration was more significant in the degenerative lumbar kyphosis patients as well as more directly 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 greater EMG activity in erector spinae and multifidus muscles in extension. (3) Your Manchester chiropractor at Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries takes great care in addressing these differences.
BACK PAIN AND BACK MUSCLES: STABILITY
Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries 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 affected 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 explained as stimulating transient physiological responses of which paraspinal muscle activity and muscle spindle responses are included. (5) Your Manchester chiropractor will carefully note these responses when treating your spine as well as in setting exercises to address weaknesses.
CONTACT Manchester Chiropractic & Sports Injuries
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Paulette Hugulet on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. She describes her use of spinal manipulation, namely the Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management, for a 77-year-old patient to decrease pain and better her muscle strength and function.
