Ashburn back pain specialists like yours at
Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn know and see - and even feel during the examination and
treatment - the weak spine muscles that accompany
low back pain and even
neck
pain. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn helps Ashburn back pain sufferers every day
with back pain relief and
exercise to strengthen back muscles.
First, the tough news. It is a basic fact that low back
pain, and even neck pain, sufferers have weak spine muscles. Ashburn
back pain specialists know it and so do Ashburn back pain sufferers!
The size of low back muscles in chronic low back pain patients is considerably
smaller than that in patients whose low back pain has improved. (1) Individuals
with chronic low back pain show delayed onset of back muscle
activity during hip motion. (2) In addition to weaker low back muscles in
patients with chronic low back pain, the fascia (the connective tissue between
and overlying muscles in the low back) show reduced shear strain. (3) Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn
knows this to be an important fact when you want to move! Physical inactivity
is associated with narrower lumbar intervertebral discs, with high fat content
of paraspinal muscles, and with low back pain and disability. (4) Muscle
degeneration occurs soon after injury but only in those patients with poor functional
recovery. Treatment, therefore, consisting of spinal manipulation and exercise
is important if a whiplash injured person wants to avoid muscle degeneration
and chronic pain. (5)
Now, some good news for our Ashburn low back pain
and weak spinal muscle patients! Weak muscles in the spine can be strengthened
and returned to normal function with chiropractic spinal manipulation. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn
has also witnessed this daily! 81 low back pain patients took 2 spinal
manipulations in one week with the size of abdominal and low back muscles
measured using ultrasound on 3 occasions during the care. Pain and disability
were also assessed. Incredibly, researchers found increased low back muscle
thickness at 1 week with decreased low back pain related disability. These
findings provide evidence that clinical improvement following spinal
manipulation is associated with increased thickening of the low back muscles. (6)
Wong (7) reported in May 2015 that after their first spinal manipulation
treatment, patient responders showed statistically significant decreases in
spinal stiffness and increases in multifidus muscle (a major low back muscle)
thickness. This finding sustained over a 7 day period. NOW NOTE THIS: Your Ashburn
chiropractor at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn, in addition to spinal manipulation using Cox
Technic, will also develop a home exercise plan for your spine pain relief and
recovery. Such exercises, called stability exercises, increase the thickness of
abdominal and low back muscles. (8)
In addition to spinal manipulation and spinal stability
exercises, your Ashburn chiropractor can also use another form of treatment called
electrical stimulation of your spinal muscles to increase their strength and
thickness and relieve pain. Deckers (9) showed that electrical stimulation of
low back muscles, specifically the multifidus muscle, caused these muscles to
contract when administered 2 times a week for 20 minutes. After 3 months, 74%
of the patients met or exceeded the minimally important change of pain relief
and 63% disability relief. The patients reported their quality of life improved
in 84% of the cases. This treatment plan, delivered by your Ashburn chiropractor,
may well reduce your spine pain and disability, improve quality of life, and
enable return to work.
Imagine, all the above benefits can be received at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn.
Working with your Ashburn chiropractor can reverse your life of
spine pain and turn it into one of satisfying quality of life. Contact
Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn today.