Muscles in Back

[Beating-Drum]

I was an observer at an Aikado Class and the teacher said that there are muslces in the back that people never use. This fascinated me and I want to know how I can get less ignorant about my muscles which I feel are quite tight. A chiropractor told me they could not treat me until my back muscles were loosened. I want to know which movement has an effect on which muscles. In a very simple but accurate way.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by Beating-Drum

I was an observer at an Aikado Class and the teacher said that there are muslces in the back that people never use. This fascinated me and I want to know how I can get less ignorant about my muscles which I feel are quite tight. A chiropractor told me they could not treat me until my back muscles were loosened. I want to know which movement has an effect on which muscles. In a very simple but accurate way.

I don't know of any muscles that people never use; at least, my gross anatomy professor didn't mention any. They are all there for a reason, and you need them to get yourself from (lay -> sit) and (sit -> crawl) and (sit -> pull-up) and (sit -> stand) when you are an infant.

You can, through extended convalescence, de-activate certain muscles in your back.

There are certain muscles that work intrinsicly with other (primary) muscles, but you are not consciously aware of activating those muscles when you use the primary muscles.

What's back there, no pun intended, is a very long list.
You'd be surprised, if you took a body apart over the course of a (summer) semester, what's in there.

I can try to answer any questions you have concerning specific movements that site lists, or different synergies that occur when certain muscles are activated. The back is really too complex for me to try to go through it all here.

[Nancy Lebovitz]

You might be interested in the Alexander Technique--it's a way of learning how not to interfere with your natural coordination so that you don't have to work on one muscle at a time.

If you want something more complicated, try Feldenkrais Technique, which is about regaining feedback from the parts of the nervous system you haven't been using.

[ahimel]

I'm on a performance dance team, and one of our more impressive aerial figures is called a "flap" -- the gents swing the ladies up and down in a sort of butterfly-flapping sort of movement. The problem is, the critical muscle for the ladies doing this is one of those minor ones that doesn't seem to serve any purpose and all of its movements can be covered by other muscles.

Originally Posted by Lotus

I don't know of any muscles that people never use; at least, my gross anatomy professor didn't mention any.

I'm sure that's true, but there's definitly a muscle somewhere between my shoulder blades that's only noticed by flapping ladies and swimmers who do butterfly.

Lie on your stomach on the floor, and bend your knees. Lay your head on the floor and use your arms to brace yourself. Now try lift your legs and lower torso off the ground by bending in the upper spine. Most people can manage to get their knees about 2-3 inches off the floor without bending at the waist; butterfly swimmers can frequently manage double that. But we've been unable to find a way to strengthen that muscle without learning the butterfly stroke, which is rather impractical. Any ideas?

Anyway, back on topic for Beating-Drum, I'd check out an anatomy textbook from the library. People who've taken anatomy classes can probably give a good recommendation, but I remember my aunt using Gray's Anatomy when she went into medicine, and I recall it being extremely detailed -- covering all the muscles, not just the big ones everyone knows. That will let you take a look at what's in there, and get a general idea of what your back looks like. After that, if you have specific questions, you'll have the terminology and background knowledge to ask them.

[Julie Donnelly]

Hi Beating Drum,

The erector spinae muscles are the ones that need to be relaxed in order for a chiropractor to work on you. The erector spinae (pronounced "e-wreck-tor spin aa") are actually a large group of muscles that originate on your ribs and insert into each of the vertebrae. Some of the fibers cross over only one rib and some travel over several ribs. The purpose of the muscles are to turn your vertebrae either to the right or left, and to pull you up from a bent position (hence the name "erect spine"). However, when the muscles go into a spasm (that's a long story on its own and you can read about it at Julstro - sports injuries, muscle pain, sports medicine Go to the section titled "muscles and pain" and then "what's happening really") it's like having a tight rope with a knot in the middle, the muscle becomes shortened. As it shortens it places a great deal of pressure on the spine and pulls the vertebra in that direction.

If the tight muscle is pulling down, the vertebra is pulled down onto the disk and you will be told you have a compressed disk. If it's pulling hard on one side and not the other you can get a bulging disk, just as stepping on a jelly donut will cause the jelly to shoot out the opposite side from the pressure.

So, the solution. Lie on the floor and use a tennis ball. Put the ball to the right side of your spine -- definitely DON'T press on your spine, but instead have it on the muscle that is just to the right of the bones. Then bend your legs and begin to push with your feet. The ball will start to roll down your back, right next to the spine. As it does it will force toxins (lactic acid) from the muscle and draw blood into the muscle which will nourish the fibers.

As the lactic acid is released (again, too much to explain for this blog) the muscle relaxes and the strain is taken off the bone and disk. Push with your feet until the ball gets all the way to your posterior pelvis. Then go back up and put the ball on the left side of your vertebrae and do the same thing on the left side.

If your muscles are really tight you may have to rotate your body so you are leaning into the ball rather than lying right on top of it. You'll understand as you do the movement.

For the past 18 years I've worked with endurance athletes and people who have chronic pain.This treatment has worked for many hundreds of people all around the world. I believe it will work for you as well, just make sure you stay off your vertebrae and stay on the muscle, and if it's too painful just rest into the ball instead of being on top of it.

Wishing you well,
Julie Donnelly

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by ahimel

The problem is, the critical muscle for the ladies doing this is one of those minor ones that doesn't seem to serve any purpose and all of its movements can be covered by other muscles.

Just off the top of my head, it's probably a muscle or set of muscles that are typically in synergy with other, bigger muscles or groups. You might look into applied kinesiology for "manual muscle tests" ... these are movements designed to help a clinician assess individual muscles one by one. Keep in mind that some muscles just can't be individualized; their innervation is basically hardwired to other muscles, and the only way to seperate them is to paralyze one or the other, which is highly impractical.

I'm trying to find a good site to explain, but you might be better off to hit a library and look for a real kinesiology text.

Originally Posted by ahimel

Lie on your stomach on the floor, and bend your knees. Lay your head on the floor and use your arms to brace yourself. Now try lift your legs and lower torso off the ground by bending in the upper spine. Most people can manage to get their knees about 2-3 inches off the floor without bending at the waist; butterfly swimmers can frequently manage double that. But we've been unable to find a way to strengthen that muscle without learning the butterfly stroke, which is rather impractical. Any ideas?

Hrm, I'm doing this motion, and all I'm activating is lower & middle back extensors. I get the feeling that this isn't the group to which you're referring, as these extensors are pretty easy to isolate.

Can you point me at a good series of pics so I can see what it looks like? (I can't really find anything with a quick search, and I hate to start doing an analysis on a moment when I'm not real sure what it looks like.) I'll can see if I can replicate it with some semi-willing victim: my cat or my niece or something.

My standard advice: keep doing the motion in practice with a partner and a third person to relieve some of the weight and/or spot. (I'm assuming no one there has any serious back problems ) Your body will generally do what you ask of it. Safe exercises should be slow and controlled, rather than a burst of quick motion followed by momentum (carries risk of straining, tearing, or impinging something).

Originally Posted by ahimel

People who've taken anatomy classes can probably give a good recommendation, but I remember my aunt using Gray's Anatomy when she went into medicine, and I recall it being extremely detailed -- covering all the muscles, not just the big ones everyone knows.

For someone with little med background, I recommend Clemente or Netter. Grey is fair, but the "unrealistic coloring" in Clemente and Netter make it easy to visualise the layers. (Unfortunately, real bodies aren't color-coded.)

[ahimel]

Originally Posted by Lotus

I'm trying to find a good site to explain, but you might be better off to hit a library and look for a real kinesiology text.

I'll give that a shot.

Hrm, I'm doing this motion, and all I'm activating is lower & middle back extensors. I get the feeling that this isn't the group to which you're referring, as these extensors are pretty easy to isolate.

Yeah, see that's the problem. You can't do the exercise correctly unless the muscle is developed, and if the muscle is developed you don't need to do the exercise.

Can you point me at a good series of pics so I can see what it looks like? (I can't really find anything with a quick search, and I hate to start doing an analysis on a moment when I'm not real sure what it looks like.) I'll can see if I can replicate it with some semi-willing victim: my cat or my niece or something.

I'm not sure if I should be party to this but I'll see what I can find. One of the moms probably has a video.

For someone with little med background, I recommend Clemente or Netter. Grey is fair, but the "unrealistic coloring" in Clemente and Netter make it easy to visualise the layers. (Unfortunately, real bodies aren't color-coded.)

A serious design flaw.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by Julie Donnelly

The ball will start to roll down your back, right next to the spine. As it does it will force toxins (lactic acid) from the muscle and draw blood into the muscle which will nourish the fibers.

As the lactic acid is released (again, too much to explain for this blog) the muscle relaxes and the strain is taken off the bone and disk.
Julie Donnelly

Hey Julie, I don't know if you've read or not, but earlier this year some new info was released that lactic acid is not a "toxin" as originally thought. This is based on the clinical work of George A. Brooks (who I think is UCLA or Berkeley, but I know is at least in California somewhere).

His stuff is published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, but I can't seem to pull it up right now. But I did the get NY Times article that went with it, of all the silly things : Lactic Acid is not muscles' foe, it's fuel.

[Ibanez]

I remember reading the middle and lower traps aren't activated as much because of chair/computer posture.

[Scott Bird]

Originally Posted by Beating-Drum

I want to know which movement has an effect on which muscles. In a very simple but accurate way.

If you haven't already, you may like to look at ExRx . Pick either male or female, click on the area you're curious about and it'll tell you exactly which muscles are there and what they do.