Beyond Weak Oxford Back Muscles: How Exercise Reverses Hidden 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. 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 contributes to ongoing Oxford 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 actually change at a cellular level. Research explains that "fatty infiltration of the erector spinae at the upper lumbar spine could be a landmark 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.
Disc degeneration and muscle fat infiltration influence each other in a two-way relationship. 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 influence 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 supplied superior outcomes compared to general exercise approaches for enhancing "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 fix the real issue—getting rid of that fat and building back healthy muscle.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOUR RECOVERY
Working with your Oxford chiropractor at Satterwhite Chiropractic to develop an exercise program that incorporates 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 addresses both the mechanical and neuromuscular parts 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 Satterwhite Chiropractic
Listen to this PODCAST with Dr. John Murray on The Back Doctors Podcast with Dr. Michael Johnson as he details the effectiveness of the gentle protocols of The Cox® Technic System of Spinal Pain Management combined with exercise.
