The Journal of physiology
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The Journal of physiology · Oct 1999
Voluntary and reflex control of human back muscles during induced pain.
1. Back pain is known to change motor patterns of the trunk. The purpose of this study was to examine the motor output of the erector spinae (ES) muscles during pain in the lumbar region. ⋯ Surprisingly, deep muscle pain had no effect on the stretch reflex. A short-latency reciprocal inhibition exists between the right and left human ES. 5. It is concluded that deep back pain does not influence the stretch reflexes in the back muscles but modulates the voluntary activation of these muscles.