Alec Titan
The human body is a complex system, and understanding the intricacies of its muscles is a challenging task. Deep muscles are those that lie beneath other muscles and play a crucial role in our physical structure and movement. They can be found in various parts of the body, including the back, neck, and even the eyes. These muscles have different functions, such as stabilising the head and neck, assisting in movement, and contributing to the overall strength and flexibility of our bodies. Exploring the deep muscles of the body can provide insights into injury treatment and prevention, as well as potential advancements in tissue engineering and muscle regeneration. Understanding the deep muscles is an intriguing and complex topic with real-world applications in health and medicine.
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What You'll Learn
Deep back muscles
The deep back muscles, also known as the intrinsic or true back muscles, are those that fuse with the spine. They are the only muscles considered to be the actual back muscles. These muscles extend along the entire length of the spine, stretching between the skull and pelvis and lying on either side of the spine. They are divided into four layers: the superficial, intermediate, deep, and deepest layers. The deep back muscles act together to provide support and maintain the body's posture, as well as to produce movements of the head, neck, and trunk. The main functions of these muscles are flexion, extension, lateral flexion, and axial rotation of the vertebral column.
The superficial layer is composed of the splenius muscles (spinotransversales muscles), which include the splenius capitis and splenius cervicis. These muscles are associated with movements of the head and neck and are located on the posterolateral aspect of the neck, covering the deeper neck muscles. The splenius capitis is associated with rotating and extending the head and neck. It is a long, broad, strap-like muscle found deep to the trapezius muscle.
The intermediate layer contains the large erector spinae muscles, which are sometimes called the long muscles of the back. This muscle group is the largest of the deep back muscles and lies on either side of the vertebral column between the spinous processes of the vertebrae and the angles of the ribs. The muscles are composed of three vertical columns of muscle: the iliocostalis, longissimus, and spinalis muscles.
The deep layer includes the transversospinales muscles, which consist of the semispinalis, multifidus, and rotatores. These muscles are associated with the transverse and spinous processes of the vertebral column. They help to stabilize the vertebral column and play a role in proprioception and balance. The semispinalis is the most superficial of the deep intrinsic muscles and can be divided into the thoracic, cervicis, and capitis. The multifidus is located underneath the semispinalis muscle and is most developed in the lumbar area. The rotatores are the deepest muscles in this group and are present along the entire length of the vertebral column, but are more prominent in the thoracic region.
The deepest layer includes the interspinales and intertransversarii muscles. The function of the interspinales muscles is to contribute to the extension of the cervical and lumbar spine. The intertransversarii span between the adjacent transverse processes of vertebrae and are best developed in the cervical and lumbar spine. They are divided into the anterior and posterior groups, with their joint function being the contribution to lateral flexion and stabilization of the cervical spine.
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Deep neck muscles
The neck is an area that is often neglected when it comes to exercise, which can lead to weakness and poor recruitment of the deep neck muscles, resulting in increased pain and disability. Deep neck muscles play a crucial role in the overall health of the neck and are key to cervical spine segmental support.
The deep neck extensors include the deep cervical extensors (semispinalis cervicis, multifidus, and rotators) and the cranio-cervical extensors (rectus capitis posterior major/minor and obliquus capitis superior/inferior). These muscles are key for cervical spine segmental support due to their relatively small moment arms, attachments to adjacent vertebrae, and high proportion of slow-twitch fibres.
The transversospinalis group is another group of deep spinal muscles that lie underneath the erector spinae group. They include the semispinalis cervicis, semispinalis capitis, and a cervical section of the multifidus and the rotatores. The semispinalis cervicis, for example, spans five or six vertebrae and attaches to most of the cervical vertebrae and the upper thoracic vertebrae.
Deep neck flexor training can help reduce headaches and improve neck-related function disorders. It is useful for improving or restoring the cervical lordosis and correcting forward head posture in patients with neck pain.
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Tissue engineering
To create these scaffolds, a small quantity of muscle tissue is taken from a donor to isolate and expand muscle progenitor cells in culture. These cells are then seeded onto a three-dimensional scaffold designed to fill the void in the patient's muscle. During the proliferation phase, various stimulations, such as mechanical stretch and electrical stimulation, can be applied to promote differentiation, proliferation, and organization into mature muscle tissue.
While tissue engineering shows great potential, there are still challenges to overcome. One challenge is the lack of a vascular system in engineered constructs, which is crucial for the constant flow of nutrients and metabolites required by metabolically active skeletal muscle tissue. Another challenge is the limited success of current scaffold designs in meeting all the criteria for a fully functional replacement, including contractile stress reproduction and regeneration after exercise-induced injuries. However, researchers are continuously working to enhance the design of engineered scaffolds to improve the functional regeneration of skeletal muscle following VML injuries.
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Muscle regeneration
The first stage of muscle regeneration involves the necrosis of the damaged muscle area. This is followed by an inflammatory response, which plays a crucial role in bridging initial injury responses and timely muscle repair. Regulatory T cells (Treg) and immune cells are key players in this stage, regulating the inflammatory infiltrate at the site of damage. The third stage is regeneration, where muscle fibres are restored. The fourth stage involves the maturation and remodelling of the regenerated muscle. Finally, functional recovery involves restoring function to the regenerated muscle.
The process of muscle regeneration is influenced by various factors, including cellular dynamics, physical activity, and muscle-tendon-bone biomechanics. For instance, studies have shown that myoblasts, which are developing muscle cells, are sensitive to mechanical stretch. A stretch protocol of 10% cyclic uniaxial strain at 1 Hz for 24 hours has been found to promote myogenic differentiation on bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells. Electrical stimulation has also been successfully used to promote myoblast differentiation and improve force production and excitability.
Tissue engineering is a promising field that aims to regenerate muscle tissue by mimicking neoorganogenesis. This approach involves taking a small quantity of muscle tissue from a donor, isolating and expanding muscle progenitor cells in culture, and then seeding these cells onto a three-dimensional scaffold designed to fill the void in the patient's muscle. While the cells proliferate, various stimulations can be applied to encourage differentiation, proliferation, and organisation into mature muscle tissue. The scaffold must be biocompatible and facilitate the formation of parallel muscle fibres with functioning sarcomeres and intracellular calcium storage.
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Deep tissue massage
During a deep tissue massage, a massage therapist will first warm up your muscles using a lighter touch. Once you're warmed up, they'll work on your problem areas, using deep kneading and stroking with varying amounts of intense pressure. It's not unusual to have some lingering soreness for a few days following this type of massage.
However, it's important to note that deep tissue massage uses very firm pressure and may not be safe for everyone. It is always recommended to speak to your doctor before getting a deep tissue massage.
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Frequently asked questions
Deep muscles are those that lie underneath other muscles. For example, the transversospinalis group of muscles lies underneath the erector spinae group.
Some examples of deep muscles include the semispinalis cervicis, semispinalis capitis, and the cervical section of the multifidus and the rotatores.
The function of deep muscles varies depending on their location in the body. For example, the deep muscles in the neck help to stabilise the position of the head, while the erector spinae muscles in the back help to extend the vertebral column.
Deep tissue massage is a common treatment for managing muscle pain and stiffness, including in deep muscles. Tissue engineering is also an emerging field that has the potential to provide treatments for skeletal muscle defects.
