What is mutlifidus?
The multifidus muscle is one of the smallest yet most “powerful”
muscle that gives support to the spine. Most people have the
misconception that small is insignificant but it is not the case when it
comes to this particular muscle.
Multifidus muscle is a series of muscles that are attached to the
spinal column. These series of muscles are further divided into two
groups which include the superficial muscle group and the deep muscle
group.
What do the multifidus muscles do?
The multifidus muscles help to take pressure off the
vertebral discs so that our body weight can be well distributed along
the spine. Additionally, the superficial muscle group keeps our spine
straight while the deep muscle group contributes significantly to the
stability of our spine. These two groups of multifidus muscles are
recruited during many actions in our daily living, which includes
bending backward, sideways and even turning our body to the sides.
Studies have shown that the multifidus muscles get activated before any
action is carried out so to protect our spine from injury. Take for
example when you are about to carry an item or before moving your arm,
the mutifidus muscles will start contracting prior to the actual
movement of the body and the arm so as to prepare the spine for the
movement and prevent it from getting hurt.
In recent years, many studies have been carried out to identify the
relationship between back pain and mutifidus. One such study was
published in 2002 in the European Spine Journal. The objective of the
study was to compare the level of back muscle activity in healthy
controls and patients with low back pain during coordination,
stabilisation and strength exercises. Electromyographic activities of
the back muscles, namely the multifidus muscles and the iliocostalis
lumborum were measured when the subjects performed the exercises. The
results showed that low back pain subjects, especially those with
chronic pain, displayed significantly smaller multifidus muscle activity
as compared to healthy subjects during the coordination exercises,
indicating that over the long term, back pain patients have a reduced
ability to voluntarily recruit the multifidus muscles in order to
maintain a neutral spine position. Also, with strength exercises,
subjects with chronic low back pain had significantly lower multifidus
muscle activity as compared to healthy subjects. Possible explanations
for this finding could be due to pain, pain avoidance and deconditioning
leading to reduced multifidus activity. Hence, as you can imagine, when
multifidus function is poor, one will be more susceptible to back
injuries.
So what do we do next?
After understanding the important role of multifidus which
contributes to good back health, it is wise to start giving more
attention to your “small yet powerful” multifidus muscle. Doing some
simple yet functional exercises will help to strengthen your back muscle
especially for people with spinal disorders or those who have gone
through spinal surgery.
Step 1: Lie on your side with your spine in a neutral posture.
Step 2: Locate the multifidus muscle. Reach for your back
and with your top hand, place three to four fingers across the side of
your spine at waistline. The multifidus muscle can be palpated or felt
here.
Step 3: Isolate and contract the multifidus muscle.
Breathe in and on breath out, contract the multifidus by imagining that
you are drawing your thigh into the pelvis. There should be no actual
movement of the hips, pelvis or spine. The contraction of the multifidus
should feel like a slow, firm ‘swelling’ or ‘bulging’ underneath your
fingers.
Once you are able to isolate and contract your multifidus, you can
practice it in many different positions, such as in sitting, standing or
bending. You can also progress with arm movements like raising one arm
forward and upward while maintaining the multifidus activation.
