Connection.
We humans desire connection with each other and with the world around us. We Toronto folks connect at social events and at the Toronto chiropractor’s office! Connection is vital to our lives and within our bodies to stay healthy and able to connect. Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre is going to share information about a spinal muscle – the multifidus – which connects one spinal bone (
vertebra) to another and needs to be kept healthy.
The multifidus muscles lie along the back of your spine connecting one vertebra to the other, from
spinous process to spinous process. These muscles allow you to rotate and extend your spine. They’re very important muscles! Your Toronto chiropractor can actually feel these muscles.
Now when Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre first examines patients with lower back pain, the muscles are examined, too. The medical research shows that the muscles degenerate with back pain and disc degeneration.
For example, patients with chronic lower back pain don’t use their muscles quite right, notably if their muscles get tired. The good news is that
lower back pain patients are able to improve their muscles, albeit a little less than healthy non-low back pain people can, but they can improve.
(1) Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre emphasizes that improvement is possible!
Further, the cross-sectional area or size of multifidus muscles and erector spinae muscles at the L5 low lumbar spine area is significantly smaller in men with
chronic low back pain than those muscles in men with low back pain who are improved of their low back pain. Researchers suggest
strengthening the lumbar paraspinal muscles to prevent lower back pain.
(2) And so does Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre. Check out the
simple lower back exercises, but don’t start until we talk!
Interestingly, another set of researchers suggests hip extension in a prone, lying flat position to activate those lumbar multifidus muscles in men may be effective. (3)
Another set of researchers points out that the extensor muscles of the low back really need extra attention. Muscles in lower back pain patients weaken sooner than in healthy back people. Resistance and strength training are highly recommended to work on those extensors. (4) Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre can suggest some safe training like this for you.
So keep those back muscles active and connected. Contact Yorkville Chiropractic and Wellness Centre to manage your lower back pain and tone those back muscles to keep your spine connected and healthy!
*image from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotatores_muscles#mediaviewer/File:Rotatores.png
