Georgetown Back Muscles Affected By Back Pain
The spine is maintained by several muscles. Back pain and degenerative spine disorders impact those muscles. Chiropractors like yours at Dr. Butwell address both the degenerative spinal pain condition and the related degenerated spine muscles. Georgetown chiropractic back pain treatment plans integrate pain-relieving methods for both the spine and its musculature.
BACK PAIN AND MUSCLES’ RESPONSES
Back pain affects back muscles. Different Georgetown back pain conditions affect different Georgetown back muscles, too. Paraspinal muscles present different responses to spinal degenerative conditions. Changes in the lumbar spine paraspinal muscles of low back pain patients have been detailed. 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 described these degenerative muscle patterns. The multifidus muscle is explained as the stabilizer of the lumbar spine segments while the erector spinae muscles tend to be seen as the stabilizers of spinal sagittal balance. Multifidus muscle degeneration was more significant in the patients with degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis. Erector spinae degeneration was more significant in the degenerative lumbar kyphosis patients as well as more directly linked to the severity of spinal kyphosis curvature. (2) Continuous chronic low back pain sufferers as contrasted with non-continuous and recurrent low back pain sufferers were documented to have higher EMG activity in erector spinae and multifidus muscles in extension. (3) Your Georgetown chiropractor at Dr. Butwell pays close attention to these variations.
BACK PAIN AND BACK MUSCLES: STABILITY
Dr. Butwell also notes back pain and muscle response on spinal stability. Researchers explained that chronic low back pain weakens spinal stability of its sufferers. In examining the activation patterns of the latissimus dorsi, gluteus maximus, and upward scapular rotation muscles of chronic LBP patients, researchers discovered a significant rise in upward scapular rotation in all shoulder abduction positions on both sides. The left side was more affected than the right. Further, they found increased 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 added. (5) Your Georgetown chiropractor will carefully note these responses when treating your spine as well as in setting exercises to address weaknesses.
CONTACT Dr. Butwell
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. Paulette Hugulet on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson. She discusses her implementation 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.
