Beyond Weak Tonawanda Back Muscles: How Exercise Reverses Hidden Spine Muscle Damage
If you are suffering with chronic back pain from spinal disc problems, many people don't realize their pain involves more than just disc problems. 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 Tonawanda back pain.
THE HIDDEN PROBLEM: FATTY MUSCLE INFILTRATION
When you have intervertebral disc disease, your paraspinal muscles don't just get weak—they actually 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 changes, which decrease 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 happens to be a critical interaction between lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and fat infiltration of paraspinal muscles, where these conditions affect each other in ways that can prolong back pain and dysfunction.
EXERCISE: YOUR PATH TO MUSCLE RECOVERY
So what's the upside? You can reverse this process through targeted exercise. A recent randomized controlled trial discovered that combined motor control training and isolated extensor strengthening gave superior outcomes compared to general exercise tactics for bettering "lumbar paraspinal muscle health" in chronic low back pain patients (3).
This approach focuses on retraining how your deep stabilizing muscles coordinate while rebuilding the weakened erector spinae. Unlike general exercise programs, these targeted interventions get to the root of the problem by replacing fatty tissue with healthy, functional muscle.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR RECOVERY
Working with your Tonawanda chiropractor at Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation to develop an exercise program that includes both motor control training and specific strengthening exercises can reverse the muscle damage caused by disc problems. As Rosenstein et al. (2025) demonstrated, this comprehensive approach addresses both the mechanical and neuromuscular aspects of your condition, creating lasting improvement, not just short-term pain relief.
Remember, recovery isn't instant, but studies confirm that targeted exercise rebuilds stronger back muscles and provides lasting pain relief.
CONTACT Chiropractic Spine Sports And Rehabilitation
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.
