3 Corporate Park
Suite 168
Irvine, CA 92606
949-955-2655

Patient Education

Muscular System

Welcome to our Patient Education page!

Our team of specialists and staff believe that informed patients are better equipped to make decisions regarding their health and well being. For your personal use, we have created an extensive patient library covering an array of educational topics, which can be found to the left of each page. Browse through these diagnoses and treatments to learn more about topics of interest to you. Or, for a more comprehensive search of our entire Web site, enter your term(s) in the search bar provided.

As always, you can contact our office to answer any questions or concerns.



The soft tissues that envelop and support your spine make up an intricate network of muscles.

With the help of your body's abdominal muscles, this network helps to keep your body stabilized and upright, and allows it to bend and flex.

The types of muscles that support your spine include:
  • Extensors - These are composed of back and gluteal muscles. These muscles help keep your back straight, assist in efforts involving lifting, and moving your thigh away from the body.
  • Flexors - These are your abdominal and iliopsoas muscle, which support the spine from the front. They also control the arch of your lower back and move the thigh in toward the body.
  • Obliques (also called rotators) - These "side" muscles stabilize your spine when you are standing upright, and help rotate your spine and maintain proper posture and spinal curvature.

Chiropractor - Irvine, Pacific Spine and Sports Institute, 3 Corporate Park Suite 168, Irvine CA, 92606 (949) 955-2655