Help for Elgin Back Pain's Fatty Paraspinal Muscles

If you suffer from chronic back pain, like many other Elgin back pain patients, chances are you’ve heard of paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate. This spinal condition can cause a lot of discomfort and can even result in gait disturbances. In this blog post, we'll look more closely at paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate and how it is associated with lumbar spinal stenosis and its treatment with spinal manipulation offered at Connected Chiropractic.

WHAT IS PARASPINAL MUSCLE FATTY INFILTRATE?

Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate is an accumulation of fat within the tissues of the muscles located near the spine. Genetics or aging are often culprits of this condition, but it can also be triggered by lifestyle factors like eating poorly or not exercising. It is important to note that this condition does not always produce symptoms, but if it does, they can involve low back pain, stiffness in the lower back and legs, or difficulty walking due to gait disturbances as gait relies on hip muscles like the gluteus medius. A recent report described how the extent to which the gluteus medius is atrophied (degenerated) impacted lumbar spinal stenosis symptomatology. (1) A leading spinal issue affecting more than 500 million people over 65 years old, lumbar spinal stenosis, is linked to altered gait as gait depends on robust muscle activity. (2) Elgin chiropractic patients know Connected Chiropractic checks for gait issues during our chiropractic exam.

PARASPINAL FATTY INFILTRATE AND LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS

Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate can be associated with lumbar spinal stenosis—a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on nerve roots and causes pain and other symptoms in the lower back and legs – and resulting Elgin back pain. Intervertebral disc degeneration and fatty-infiltrated paraspinal muscles – multifidus, erector spinae, etc. – are linked and known to cause chronic low back pain and related issues: the fattier, the more degenerated. (3) Other researchers agreed that fat infiltration of the paraspinal muscles like the multifidus muscle may be associated with lower back pain when it was not linked to other factors like a person with back pain being older, male, or having a higher BMI. (4) Connected Chiropractic offers relieving chiropractic treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis and its back pain.

LUMBAR SPINAL STENOSIS & SPINAL MANIPULATION

Treatment options for lumbar spinal stenosis vary depending on severity and the healthcare practitioner consulted from nutrition, surgery, exercise, drugs, and/or spinal manipulation and mobilization. A study described that one session of spinal manipulation significantly reduced spinal stiffness and enhanced the multifidus muscle thickness ratio that maintained for more than 7 days in spinal manipulation responders. (5) Your Elgin chiropractor uses the latter for back pain relief, particularly the well-researched chiropractic Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management.  Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. James Cox on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he details how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management addresses back pain and affiliated muscles.

CONTACT Connected Chiropractic

Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate is a common condition that can cause a range of issues including low back pain, stiffness in the lower body, and gait disturbances. It is sometimes associated with lumbar spinal stenosis. If you are experiencing any symptoms associated with paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate or lumbar spinal stenosis, it's time to visit with your Elgin chiropractor at Connected Chiropractic about your treatment options so you can find relief as quickly as possible. Schedule your appointment today!