Beyond Weak Plainville Back Muscles: How Exercise Reverses Unseen Spine Muscle Damage
If you're dealing with chronic back pain from spinal disc problems, the source of your pain may not be what you think—it's rarely just the discs. Recent research reveals that the muscles supporting your spine—particularly the erector spinae muscles that run along your back—can develop what's called "fatty infiltration," where healthy muscle tissue is gradually replaced by fat. This process weakens your spine's natural support system and adds to ongoing Plainville back pain.
THE HIDDEN PROBLEM: FATTY MUSCLE INFILTRATION
When you have intervertebral disc disease, your paraspinal muscles experience more complex changes than simple weakening—they actually change at a cellular level. Research explains that "fatty infiltration of the erector spinae at the upper lumbar spine could be a landmark for low back pain" (1). This creates a vicious cycle: disc problems lead to muscle changes, which decrease spinal support, potentially degrading disc health over time.
It's not just one causing the other: disc problems and muscle deterioration create a vicious cycle. As pointed out by Jiang et al. (2), there happens to be a critical interaction between lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and fat infiltration of paraspinal muscles, where these conditions influence each other in ways that can continue back pain and dysfunction.
EXERCISE: YOUR PATH TO MUSCLE RECOVERY
So what's the upside? With the right exercise program, you can reverse these changes. A recent randomized controlled trial discovered that combined motor control training and isolated extensor strengthening produced superior outcomes compared to general exercise tactics for bettering "lumbar paraspinal muscle health" in chronic low back pain patients (3).
This approach emphasizes retraining how your deep stabilizing muscles coordinate while rebuilding the weakened erector spinae. Unlike general exercise programs, these targeted interventions target the core problem—replacing fat with healthy muscle.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR RECOVERY
Working with your Plainville chiropractor at Layden Chiropractic to create an exercise program that includes both motor control training and specific strengthening exercises can heal the muscle changes your disc problems have caused. As Rosenstein et al. (2025) demonstrated, this comprehensive approach addresses both the mechanical and neuromuscular aspects of your condition, offering hope for long-term improvement rather than just temporary pain relief.
Remember, while healing requires patience, research proves the right exercises can restore muscle health and eliminate pain for good.
CONTACT Layden Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. John Murray on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he details the effective gentle protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management combined with exercise.
