Beyond Weak Vancouver Back Muscles: How Exercise Reverses Unseen Spine Muscle Damage
If you're dealing with chronic back pain from spinal disc issues, you might be surprised to learn that your pain isn't just about the discs themselves. Studies describe how 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 Vancouver 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 demonstrates 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 alterations, which decrease spinal support, potentially degrading disc health over time.
Disc degeneration and muscle fat infiltration don't just coexist—they actively influence one another. 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 prolong back pain and dysfunction.
EXERCISE: YOUR PATH TO MUSCLE RECOVERY
The positive takeaway? Targeted exercise can reverse this process. A recent randomized controlled trial reported that combined motor control training and isolated extensor strengthening gave superior outcomes compared to general exercise tactics for improving "lumbar paraspinal muscle health" in chronic low back pain patients (3).
This approach emphasizes retraining how your deep stabilizing muscles coordinate while rebuilding the weakened erector spinae. Unlike general exercise programs, these targeted interventions tackle the underlying muscle deterioration by restoring healthy tissue and reducing fat infiltration.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR RECOVERY
Working with your Vancouver chiropractor at Vancouver Disc Centers to create an exercise program that includes 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) explained, this comprehensive approach takes on both the mechanical and neuromuscular aspects of your condition, delivering actual recovery, not just a Band-Aid solution.
Remember, healing won't happen overnight, but with evidence-based exercises, you can transform deteriorated muscles into strong, pain-free tissue.
CONTACT Vancouver Disc Centers
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 combined with exercise.
