Multifidi Muscle

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Admin
Multifidi Muscle

Multifidi Muscle

 

Many people wonder why back pain comes and goes so often!  There has been some interesting research on a group of muscles in our low back that is a main contributor to this rollercoaster of pain.  Check out some points from a recent article about chiropractic and rehabilitation!  Before you get to the article we are going to go over what the multifidus muscle is! 

The multifidus (multifidus spinae : pl. multifidi ) muscle consists of a number of fleshy and tendinous fasciculi, which fill up the groove on either side of the spinous processes of the vertebrae, from the sacrum to the axis. The multifidus is a very thin muscle.  Deep in the spine, it spans three joint segments, and works to stabilize the joints at each segmental level.  The stiffness and stability makes each vertebra work more effectively, and reduces the degeneration of the joint structures. 

With all that information (We understand it was a lot J), now let’s get to that research!

 

 

Why Does Back Pain Recur? New Research Findings and Treatment Considerations

Addressing wasting and dysfunction of the multifidus muscle.

By Jasper Sidhu, BSc, DC

The multifidus muscle has garnered increased attention over the years as an important contributor to low back pain because it has been shown to atrophy following LBP.

Although symptoms may improve, multifidus wasting persists, leading to the premise that recurring low back pain may be due to this lumbar stabilizer.

 

 

A recent study by MacDonald, et al. (2009) provided some of the first evidence of a connection between altered deep muscle activity and recurrent low back episodes.1  In a second study, MacDonald, et al. (2010) assessed the impact of unpredictable loading on muscle activation and found that both the deep and superficial fibers of the multifidus muscle had less EMG in people with recurrent low back pain than with healthy subjects.2 In addition to altered movement patterns, atrophy of the multifidus has also been demonstrated following episodes of low back pain. (WOW!)

Spinal manipulation has been shown to influence multifidus muscle function, resulting in improved muscular control of the trunk, thereby enhancing the effects of exercise.3-4

The importance of the multifidus muscle cannot be overstated. In addition to traditional chiropractic care, adding an effective rehabilitation program will allow the clinician to address a muscle that is increasingly shown to be a contributing factor in recurrent low back pain.

References

1.    MacDonald D, et al. Why do some patients keep hurting their back? Evidence of ongoing back muscle dysfunction during remission from recurrent back pain. Pain, 2009 Apr;142(3):183-8.

2.    MacDonald D, et al. People with recurrent low back pain respond differently to trunk loading despite remission from symptoms. Spine, 2010 Apr 1;35(7):818-24.

3.    Brenner AK, et al. Improved activation of lumbar multifidus following spinal manipulation: a case report applying rehabilitative ultrasound imaging. J Orthop Sports Phy Ther, 2007 Oct;37(10):613-9.

4.    Tunnell J. Needle EMG Response of lumbar multifidus to manipulation in the presence of clinical instability. J Man Manip Ther, 2009;17(1):E19-24.

We here at HealthSource of Albertville provide spinal manipulation in conjunction with our Progressive Rehab which will activate the musculature to assist with spinal stability and eliminate that pain rollercoaster! 

 

Call us today to get your spine checked!

www.megaemg.com eMotion Low back test – Fully automatic system for quick low back muscle testing Back muscle endurance and it’s effects has been studied intensively for over 45 years. New eMotion EMG system takes advantage of all this knowledge and makes assessment of back muscles fast, convenient and accurate. Low back test is very fast to do test itself takes only 2 minutes and result printout is produced in a few seconds. Low back test of eMotion EMG is a fully automated measurement of back muscle function during isometric test (Sorensen test). Test gives an accurate measure of endurance of each muscle, balance between muscle groups, estimation of injury risk to assist muscle re-education. eMotion EMG can be expanded with additional software modules to do various other tests also. There is also free mode in the software that enables any kind of EMG measurements. 3 Main reasons to assess back muscle endurance: 1. Impaired endurance is a frequent phenomenon in LBP 2. Muscle fatigue leads to abnormal spinal movements 3. Poor back endurance predicts future occurrence of LBP Main outcomes of Low back test: * Endurance of each muscle group * Balance between left and right side * Balance between erector spinae and multifidus muscles * Weakest link of muscles * Improvements between test sessions * Injury risk assessment Technical spesifications: * 4 channel EMG * Weight of one sensor: 16 g * Dimensions: 35 mm x 35 mm x 15 mm * Sampling frequency: 1000 Hz * Battery …