Beyond Weak Groton Back Muscles: How Exercise Reverses Hidden Spine Muscle Damage
If you are suffering with chronic back pain from spinal disc issues, you might be surprised to hear that your pain isn't just about the discs themselves. Your back muscles, particularly the erector spinae running along your spine, can weaken over time as fat gradually replaces healthy muscle tissue. This process diminishes your spine's natural support system and adds to ongoing Groton 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 shows 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 pointed out by Jiang et al. (2), there exists 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? You can reverse this process through targeted exercise. A recent randomized controlled trial discovered that combined motor control training and isolated extensor strengthening gave superior outcomes compared to general exercise approaches for bettering "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 target the core problem—replacing fat with healthy muscle.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR RECOVERY
Working with your Groton chiropractor at Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office to develop an exercise program that incorporates 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) explained, this comprehensive approach takes on both the mechanical and neuromuscular parts of your condition, offering hope for long-term improvement rather than just temporary pain relief.
Remember, it takes time, but the right exercises genuinely rebuild your back muscles and keep pain away.
CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. John Murray on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he details the effectiveness of the gentle protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management alongside exercise.
