Help for Nashua Back Pain's Fatty Paraspinal Muscles

If you suffer from chronic back pain, like many other Nashua back pain sufferers, chances are you have heard of paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate. This spinal issue can cause a great deal of discomfort and can even result in gait disturbances. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate and how it is related to lumbar spinal stenosis and its treatment with spinal manipulation available at Moriarty Chiropractic.

WHAT IS PARASPINAL MUSCLE FATTY INFILTRATE?

Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate is an accumulation of fat within the muscle tissues around the spine. Genetics or aging are often culprits of this condition, but it can also be activated by lifestyle factors like eating poorly or not exercising. It is important to note that paraspinal fatty muscle infiltrate 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 explained how the extent to which the gluteus medius is atrophied (weakened) impacted lumbar spinal stenosis symptomatology. (1) One of the most common spinal conditions affecting more than 500 million people over 65 years old, lumbar spinal stenosis, is linked to distorted gait as gait depends on robust muscle activity. (2) Nashua chiropractic patients know Moriarty 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 exerts pressure on nerve roots and causes pain and other symptoms in the lower back and legs – and resultant Nashua back pain. Intervertebral disc degeneration and fatty-infiltrated paraspinal muscles – multifidus, erector spinae, etc. – are linked and found to cause chronic low back pain and its issues: the more fat, the more degeneration. (3) Other researchers agreed that fat infiltration of the paraspinal muscles like the multifidus muscle may be linked to lower back pain when it was not associated with other factors like a person with back pain being older, male, or having a higher BMI. (4) Moriarty Chiropractic offers alleviating 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 treatment of spinal manipulation significantly decreased spinal stiffness and enhanced the multifidus muscle thickness ratio which lasted for more than 7 days in spinal manipulation responders. (5) Your Nashua chiropractor uses such care 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 describes how The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management addresses back pain and affiliated muscles.

CONTACT Moriarty Chiropractic

Paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate is a common condition that can trigger 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 have any symptoms related to paraspinal muscle fatty infiltrate or lumbar spinal stenosis, it's time to visit with your Nashua chiropractor at Moriarty Chiropractic about your treatment options so you can find relief as quickly as possible. Schedule your appointment today!