Beyond Weak Manahawkin Back Muscles: How Exercise Reverses Unseen Spine Muscle Damage
If you are suffering with chronic back pain from spinal disc problems, the source of your pain may not be what you think—it's rarely just the discs. New studies show that spinal support muscles, especially the erector spinae along your back, can weaken as healthy tissue gets replaced by fat—a process called 'fatty infiltration. This process diminishes your spine's natural support system and contributes to ongoing Manahawkin back pain.
THE HIDDEN PROBLEM: FATTY MUSCLE INFILTRATION
When you have intervertebral disc disease, your paraspinal muscles undergo changes that go beyond basic weakness—they actually change at a cellular level. Research shows that "fatty infiltration of the erector spinae at the upper lumbar spine could be a breakthrough for low back pain" (1). This creates a vicious cycle: disc problems lead to muscle changes, which reduce spinal support, potentially degrading disc health over time.
The relationship between disc degeneration and muscle fat infiltration is complex and bidirectional. 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 impact each other in ways that can continue back pain and dysfunction.
EXERCISE: YOUR PATH TO MUSCLE RECOVERY
The good news? You can reverse this process through targeted exercise. A recent randomized controlled trial reported that combined motor control training and isolated extensor strengthening gave superior outcomes compared to general exercise tactics for enhancing "lumbar paraspinal muscle health" in chronic low back pain patients (3).
This approach emphasizes retraining how your core stabilizers work as a team while targeting the weakened back muscles. 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 Manahawkin chiropractor at Manahawkin Chiropractic Center to develop an exercise program that incorporates both motor control training and specific strengthening exercises can heal the muscle changes your disc problems have caused. As Rosenstein et al. (2025) explained, this comprehensive approach addresses both the mechanical and neuromuscular parts of your condition, opening the door to real recovery rather than quick fixes.
Remember, it takes time, but the right exercises genuinely rebuild your back muscles and keep pain away.
CONTACT Manahawkin Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. John Murray on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he shares the effectiveness of the gentle protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management alongside exercise.
