Back Pain Myths: Strong Back Muscles

On a daily basis, I see patients who suffer more than they should because of some common back pain myths. Today’s myth: Strong back muscles will protect your spine.

Wrong!

Your body has two types of muscle (really more than this, but the others are in your internal organs), movers and stabilizers. Movers are big muscles that move your body parts, hence the name. Stabilizers are muscles that hold your parts in place and prevent you from being damaged while the movers are moving you.

Your multifidus muscle, pictured below, is an example of a stabilizer muscle.

To prevent back pain, you need your stabilizer muscles to have endurance. They protect your spine. If they work as long as you do, everyone is happy. If they quit before you do….ouch!

These muscles don’t need to be strong, but they need to be able to keep going and going….and going.

The problem with exercises for strength is that they tend to work the “movers” more than the stabilizers. And, when they do work the stabilizers, they can change them from slow-twitch (endurance) muscle to fast-twitch (powerful) muscle.

Studies of back pain patients show that high percentages of patients with chronic back pain have a different mix of fast vs. slow twitch muscle fibers. Studies also show that those with back pain tend to have very low endurance of their stabilizers – particularly the multifidus.

Tomorrow: preventing back pain with endurance exercises. Stay tuned!