Beyond Weak Juneau Back Muscles: How Exercise Reverses Hidden Spine Muscle Damage
If you're dealing 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. Recent research informs that the muscles supporting your spine—particularly the erector spinae muscles that run along your back—can develop what's called "fatty infiltration," where healthy muscle tissue is gradually replaced by fat. This process diminishes your spine's natural support system and contributes to ongoing Juneau 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 really 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 noted 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 prolong back pain and dysfunction.
EXERCISE: YOUR PATH TO MUSCLE RECOVERY
So what's the upside? With the right exercise program, you can reverse these changes. A recent randomized controlled trial reported that combined motor control training and isolated extensor strengthening produced 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 stabilizing muscles work together while specifically strengthening the erector spinae muscles that have been compromised. 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 Juneau chiropractor at Aurora Chiropractic Center to create 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) demonstrated, this comprehensive approach takes on both the mechanical and neuromuscular aspects 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 Aurora Chiropractic Center
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. John Murray on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he describes the effective gentle protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management combined with exercise.
