Beyond Weak Murfreesboro Back Muscles: How Exercise Reverses Hidden Spine Muscle Damage
If you're dealing with chronic back pain from spinal disc problems, you might be surprised to hear that your pain isn't just about the discs themselves. Studies describe how erector spinae muscles—the key stabilizers running along your back—can experience fatty infiltration, a degenerative process where adipose tissue displaces healthy muscle fibers. This process diminishes your spine's natural support system and contributes to ongoing Murfreesboro 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 really change at a cellular level. Research demonstrates 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 alterations, which decrease spinal support, potentially worsening disc health over time.
It's not just one causing the other: disc problems and muscle deterioration create a vicious cycle. As noted 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 impact each other in ways that can prolong back pain and dysfunction.
EXERCISE: YOUR PATH TO MUSCLE RECOVERY
The good news? With the right exercise program, you can reverse these changes. A recent randomized controlled trial found that combined motor control training and isolated extensor strengthening gave superior outcomes compared to general exercise approaches for enhancing "lumbar paraspinal muscle health" in chronic low back pain patients (3).
This approach focuses on retraining how your deep stabilizing muscles function together while specifically strengthening the erector spinae muscles that have been compromised. Unlike general exercise programs, these targeted interventions fix the real issue—getting rid of that fat and building back healthy muscle.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR RECOVERY
Working with your Murfreesboro chiropractor at Most Chiropractic Clinic to develop an exercise program that includes both motor control training and specific strengthening exercises can turn around the muscle damage that came with your disc issues. As Rosenstein et al. (2025) demonstrated, this comprehensive approach addresses both the mechanical and neuromuscular parts of your condition, opening the door to real recovery rather than quick fixes.
Remember, healing takes time, but research shows that with the right exercise approach, you can rebuild healthier, stronger back muscles and experience lasting pain reduction.
CONTACT Most Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. John Murray on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the effective gentle protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management combined with exercise.
