Beyond Weak Augusta 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. Studies reveal that 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 adds to ongoing Augusta 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 reduce spinal support, potentially degrading disc health over time.
The connection between degenerating discs and fat-infiltrated muscles works both ways, with each condition potentially triggering or worsening the other. 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 perpetuate back pain and dysfunction.
EXERCISE: YOUR PATH TO MUSCLE RECOVERY
The positive takeaway? Targeted exercise reverses this deterioration.. A recent randomized controlled trial discovered that combined motor control training and isolated extensor strengthening supplied 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 support muscles interact while you rebuild the erector spinae that have deteriorated. 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 Augusta chiropractor at Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic to create 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) showed, this comprehensive approach takes on both the mechanical and neuromuscular aspects of your condition, creating lasting improvement, not just short-term pain relief.
Remember, it takes time, but the right exercises genuinely rebuild your back muscles and keep pain away.
CONTACT Lombardy Chiropractic Clinic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. John Murray on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares the effective gentle protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management combined with exercise.
