How To Help Muscle Strain In Lower Back

How To Provide Immediate Relief For A Back Muscle Strain:

Stop What Youre Doing

When your back pain suddenly flares up, discontinue the physical activity that youre doing. It is important to protect your lower back from further injury. Dont push through your workout or continue to do chores around the house.

Overusing a strained back muscle may worsen the damage and delay the recovery.

How Does A Chiropractor Know If Its A Pulled Muscle Or Something Else

A chiropractic examination determines whether the problem relates to the bone, or back strain, for example. The doctor may also check for other conditions, such as arthritis or spinal stenosis. In addition, chiropractors use various manual and diagnostic techniques to diagnose musculoskeletal disorders.

A chiropractor will examine your entire body to see where you are out of alignment and may use x-rays to check for misalignments. Then, they will manipulate and use soft tissue techniques to help correct those misalignments.

A series of treatments may be recommended to ensure that your body responds appropriately to the proposed treatment. In subsequent visits, your chiropractor can determine if any underlying issues may have predisposed you to muscle strain in the first place.

More often than not, people walk around with minor injuries and compensations they have been carrying for a long time. Over time, the body makes adjustments to adapt to these weakened areas for you to continue to function at your highest capacity.

However, when overloaded for too long, it doesnt take much to push your bodys limit past its capacity and boom a muscle strain occurs. Patients commonly report that they are not sure why they got injured, it was just a small movement, slept wrong, or just moved the wrong way, and their muscles seized up. This explains why.

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Back Strain Symptoms And Causes

You have many muscles in your back, and tendons attach muscles to bones. During a back strain injury, you can stretch one or more of these structures.

Back strain typically causes an achy pain that’s usually limited to the injured area. But the pain can also travel down into the buttock area.

You may also notice decreased flexibility of your movement. Your joints can become “guarded” if moving them is painful. Over time, constant muscle stiffness or intermittent muscle spasms can develop.

The strain can also lead to inflammation. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons says this inflammation can cause pain and/or back muscle spasms.

Often, back strain occurs when muscle or tendon fibers become torn or overstretched. Most of the time, back strains are caused by lifting heavy objects with a bent or twisted spine.

Pulled Back Muscle And Lower Back Strain

Lower back strain, also referred to as a pulled muscle, is caused by damage to the muscles and ligaments of the lower back. Watch:Lower Back Strain Video

The lower spine, also called the lumbar spine, depends on these soft tissues to help hold the body upright and support weight from the upper body. If put under too much stress, the low back muscles| or soft tissues can become injured and painful.

While a pulled back muscle or strain may seem like a minor injury, the resulting pain and muscle spasms can be surprisingly severe.

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What Not To Do For A Pulled Back Muscle

When your back hurts, you probably reach for a bottle of painkillers such as NSAIDs and get in bed or crash on the couch. Or you go to the doctor, who may prescribe muscle relaxants.

Im not a fan of Big Pharmas pills.

For one, both NSAIDs and muscle relaxants come with side effects. Some are just annoying, while others are downright dangerous.

Muscle relaxants like the popular Flexeril can cause:

• dry mouth or throat
• loss of appetite, stomach pain, nausea
• diarrhea, constipation, gas
• muscle weakness

And NSAIDs come with their own long list of dangerous side effects, the worst of which is an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.

For short-term pain relief, I recommend natural painkillers.

But there are other ways to relieve the pain and speed up the healing process.

Key takeaway: Big Pharmas solutions fall short when it comes to pulled back muscles and may even cause serious side effects.

How To Tell If Your Lower Back Pain Is Muscle

by Dr. Don DuffAug 20, 2019

The low back is a fairly complicated structure, so its no wonder the majority of peopleexperts estimate up to 80% of usexperience pain in this area of our bodies at some point in our lives. In fact, back pain is one of the most common reasons for visits to the doctors office.

The key to relieving back pain is understanding the cause. But diagnosing the of a patients pain isnt always a straightforward exercise. It could be muscle, joint, or disc-related in some cases, it may even arise from issues unrelated to the back. So how can you tell if your back pain is muscle- or disc-related, or attributable to something else entirely? Well cover all the possibilities in this post.

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Urgent Advice: Phone 111 If:

• there has been a new, significant trauma within the last 7 days, for example a fall from height or direct blow to the back

You have experienced a new onset of the following symptoms:

• loss of feeling/pins and needles between your inner thighs or genitals
• numbness in or around your back passage or buttocks
• altered feeling when using toilet paper to wipe yourself
• increasing difficulty when you try to urinate
• increasing difficulty when you try to stop or control your flow of urine
• loss of sensation when you pass urine
• leaking urine or recent need to use pads
• not knowing when your bladder is either full or empty
• inability to stop a bowel movement or leaking
• loss of sensation when you pass a bowel motion
• loss sensation in genitals during sexual intercourse

Stretches To Heal Your Sore Back Muscle Pain:

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Treatment For Pulled Back Muscles

Most pulled muscles are fairly straightforward to diagnose and can be treated with ice or heat and over-the-counter pain medication. While your injury heals, its best to avoid strenuous activity or heavy lifting.

• an ice pack wrapped in a towel applied for 10 to 20 minutes several times a day to reduce inflammation and ease pain when the injury first occurs.
• heat packs applied several times a day after the first 48 hours to increase circulation and speed healing.
• over-the-counter or prescription pain medicationssuch as ibuprofen, aspirin, or naproxento reduce inflammation.
• muscle relaxants, which require a prescription, to help ease painful muscle spasms.
• physical therapy to strengthen muscles and provide better support for the spine and reduce the chance of future injury.
• gentle stretching exercises to increase blood flow to the injury and strengthen the back and abdominal muscles that support the spine.
• massage to reduce muscle tension and pain, increase circulation, and improve range-of-motion.
• a 5- to 10-minute walk a couple of times a day to relieve back stiffness and promote physical activity to avoid future problems.

In most all cases, pain from a pulled back muscle gets better after only a few days. But if it lasts for more than a week or two or the pain is severe, its time to call your doctor. If you experience a loss of feeling in your legs or groin, fever, loss of control of your bowels or bladder, or severe abdominal pain, get medical help.

How To Treat A Pulled Back Muscle In 8 Steps

A pulled back muscle can begin as a sudden, sharp pain when lifting or bending. Or it may appear gradually, getting progressively worse over several days. This common injury ranges from a minor inconvenience to an intense source of pain. It can take several weeks, and in some cases a few months, to heal.1

A pulled muscle is the common term for a strained muscle.2 A strain is a muscle or tendon injury that happens when the tissue stretches or tears. When a ligament stretches or tears, its called a sprain. Back pain, often due to a pulled muscle, is one of the most common issues health professionals treat.2 In most cases, you can manage and treat symptoms at home. But if the pain is unbearable or makes it difficult to move, see a doctor.

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Stretching Your Lumbar Muscles To Help With Strains Or Tears

Stretching can help your back strain in numerous ways! Although stretching sometimes can be overlooked, it can be the key to your recovery process if youve pulled a muscle in your back. Stretching helps improve flexibility, improve your physical performance, increase your endurance, reduce the chance of injury, and increase blood flow. Who wouldn’t want that right?

Stretching can be done in your house, at work, on the go – pretty much anywhere, so theres no excuse to skip over this regime! If youve pulled, strained, or torn your back, stretching can be the first step to a speedy recovery. Stretching for a sprained back will help promote healing as this injury typically can last for around 4-6 weeks or if severe enough, it might take up to 10 weeks.

When To Start Exercising

When back pain is severe, remain up and around to the extent possible. Extended bed rest is not good during a bout of severe back pain, but neither is rushing into stretching and strengthening exercises, according to research.

If you have an episode of low back pain and try to start exercising the next day, that turns out not to be that helpful, Dr. Katz says. Instead, resume your normal activities as soon as possible, but avoid lifting heavy weight and engaging in physical activities that exert sudden stresses on your back, like jogging or shoveling snow.

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How Are Back Strains And Sprains Treated

The treatment for strains and sprains is similar, and often takes place in two phases.

The goal of the first phase is to reduce the pain and spasm. This may involve rest, and the use of ice packs and compression , especially for the first 24 to 48 hours after the injury. An over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, such as ibuprofen , may be recommended to help reduce pain and swelling.

After the first 24 to 48 hours, returning to normal activities, as tolerated, is advisable. Extended bed rest or immobility simply prolongs symptoms and delays recovery.

Most people with lumbar strain/sprain symptoms improve in about 2 weeks. If symptoms continue for more than 2 weeks, additional treatment may be required.

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When Should I See My Healthcare Provider About Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain usually gets better with rest and pain relievers. Back pain that doesnt go away may be a sign of a more serious condition.

See your provider if you have:

• Pain that doesnt get better after about a week of at-home care.
• Tingling, numbness, weakness or pain in your buttocks or legs.
• Severe pain or muscle spasms that interfere with your normal activities.
• Fever, weight loss, bowel or bladder problems or other unexplained symptoms.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Millions of people live with low back pain. Stiffness, pain and limited movement can have a major impact on quality of life. But you may be able to avoid lower back pain by maintaining a healthy weight and staying active. Talk to your provider if back pain doesnt go away or if youre unable to do the activities you enjoy. Several treatments can relieve pain, help you move better and get more out of life.

Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 01/18/2021.

References

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How Chiropractors Can Help With Bone And Muscle Pain

Its not uncommon for people to experience muscle strain or pain in their back, neck or limbs. This can be linked to anything from sitting at a desk for too long, a muscle injury, or even something more serious such as a herniated disc.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, visiting a chiropractor can help alleviate these pains by employing several different treatment techniques. These treatments aim to put the spine in ideal alignment, thus reducing pressure on nerves and other sensitive structures.

Rest And Ice Or Heat Therapy

The final step in this treatment process involves resting, using ice and heat therapy, and prevention methods to reduce the chance of straining your back again. Read more about the R.I.C.E. method here.) Its no surprise that the benefit of resting during the recovery process is to help give your muscles a break from the work they typically endure every day. But this part can be a tricky as most doctors suggest you do not completely do bed rest but that you lower the number of activities instead.

Ice and heat therapy is a crucial part of treatment for your back muscle relief. Using heat can help open up your blood vessels, which promotes healing in your tissues, tendons, and muscles. Ice, on the other hand, narrows your blood vessels, which helps to reduce any swelling that you might be suffering from. Using a heat and ice therapy wrap can help you easily switch from applying hot and cold to your lower back.

And finally, another aspect of this step involves prevention methods to help you avoid straining, pulling, or tearing your back in the future. There are many different ways to help prevent a pulled back muscle including:

• Sleep on your back or side
• Correct your posture. Try using a posture brace like this one to train your muscles to remain in the right position

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Inflammation And Muscle Spasm

When soft tissues in the low back are stretched or torn, the surrounding area will typically become inflamed.

Inflammation, or local swelling, is part of the bodys natural response to injury, in which blood is rushed to an injured tissue in order to restore it. Inflamed muscles may spasm, feel tender to the touch, or cramp , and contract tightly, causing intense pain.

The Course Of Lower Back Muscle Strain

The hip, pelvis, buttock, and hamstring muscles assist low back muscles in supporting the lumbar spine. When these muscles are injured, pain or tightness may be felt across the low back and into the hips or buttocks.

Symptoms are typically limited in duration and follow a pattern:

• Pain is most intense for the initial few hours and days. It is normal to experience increased pain with certain movements or positions, such as bending forward, backward, or standing upright.
• Ongoing moderate pain and stiffness is usually felt for 1 to 2 weeks while muscles heal. Pain when holding certain movements or positions , stiffness, and local tenderness are typical.

See Lower Back Pain Symptoms

Compared to many other kinds of back injuries, a pulled muscle is usually straightforward to diagnose and easy to treat, and symptoms usually resolve within 4 to 6 weeks. Some severe muscle injuries, such as a complete muscle tear, can take months to heal.

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