Beyond Weak Richmond 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. 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 weakens your spine's natural support system and adds to ongoing Richmond 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 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 alterations, which decrease spinal support, potentially worsening 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 influence each other in ways that can continue back pain and dysfunction.
EXERCISE: YOUR PATH TO MUSCLE RECOVERY
The positive takeaway? 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 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 target the core problem—replacing fat with healthy muscle.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR RECOVERY
Working with your Richmond chiropractor at Johnson Chiropractic 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) demonstrated, this comprehensive approach takes on both the mechanical and neuromuscular aspects of your condition, giving you actual recovery, not just a Band-Aid solution.
Remember, healing takes time, but research shows that with the right exercise approach, you can rebuild healthier, stronger back muscles and experience lasting pain reduction.
CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic
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.
