The Functions of Back Muscles

December 4, 2008 by soreback 

The functions of the muscles in the back are many. Not only do they allow us to stand and sit upright but they allow for all major movements of the body as well. This includes moving the arm from the shoulder area, bending from the waist, twisting from side to side, moving the neck and head from one side or another, and any other movements along the upper body.

The back muscles also help us to walk as they support the leg muscles at the hip area. They also even help us to breathe, since the lungs themselves do not move but are made to push in and out by the muscles surrounding them, including the back muscles. This is why many with back injuries find it difficult or painful to breathe.

As a matter of fact, there is virtually no movement that a human makes that doesn’t involve the back muscles. When you move your head, your arms at the shoulders, your legs at the hips, and even when you breathe deeply the back muscles are affected and used. When you’re flat on your back or are sitting and need to change positions in any way, the back muscles are involved even if you’re just turning your head or curling your arms.

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When you go to sit in a chair, the back muscles actually control the body’s movement so that it doesn’t just collapse in a heap or slam itself into the furniture. Standing straight up requires the use of back muscles as they help to keep the body upright and not slumped over or squished down into a little heap.

When you realize the complexity of the back muscles and how they’re used and involved in virtually everything you do, you realize how even the slightest injury or imperfection can cause pain during any movement or activity, not just those that are particularly strenuous.

Realizing all these various functions of the back can and should give us a better appreciation for why someone with an injured back, with underdeveloped muscles, with strained muscles, or with certain diseases and conditions of any element of the back can be in extreme pain with even the slightest movement.

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