How To Relieve Lower Back Pain From Pulled Muscle

Symptoms Of A Pulled Back Muscle

Symptoms of a pulled back muscle depend on where the injury is. The spine is divided into three major sections: the neck, upper back and shoulders, and lower back.

For a pulled muscle in the neck, you might experience:3

• Pain in the neck and upper back area
• Limited range of motion in the neck
• Stiffness in the neck
• Pain radiating to the shoulders or arms
• Headache

Pulled muscles in the shoulders and upper back may cause:

• Pain in the area between the spine and shoulder blade
• Muscle spasms in the upper back
• Knots and tightness in the upper back and shoulders
• Pain when moving the shoulders

In lower back strain injuries, many people experience symptoms such as:3

• Aching and stiffness in lower back muscles
• Pain that worsens with movement
• Pain that radiates to the hips and legs
• Limited range of motion
• Muscle spasms in lower back area
• Pain when sitting, standing, or walking

What Can Cause Lower Back Pain

Most acute low back pain is mechanical in nature, meaning that there is a disruption in the way the components of the back fit together and move. Some examples of mechanical causes of low back pain include:

Congenital

• Skeletal irregularities such as scoliosis , lordosis , kyphosis , and other congenital anomalies of the spine.
• Spina bifida which involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord and/or its protective covering and can cause problems involving malformation of vertebrae and abnormal sensations and even paralysis.

Injuries

• Sprains , strains , and spasms
• Traumatic Injury such as from playing sports, car accidents, or a fall that can injure tendons, ligaments, or muscle causing the pain, as well as compress the spine and cause discs to rupture or herniate.

Degenerative problems

• Intervertebral disc degeneration which occurs when the usually rubbery discs wear down as a normal process of aging and lose their cushioning ability.
• Spondylosis the general degeneration of the spine associated with normal wear and tear that occurs in the joints, discs, and bones of the spine as people get older.
• Arthritis or other inflammatory disease in the spine, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis as well as spondylitis, an inflammation of the vertebrae.

Nerve and spinal cord problems

Non-spine sources

What Exactly Is The Lower Back Anyway

Your lower back is known as the lumbar region of the spine. It has a lot of heavy lifting to do: The lumbar spine carries the weight of your entire upper body, plus biomechanical stresses that occur with movement.

The lumbar spine has five vertebraebackbones. Each vertebra has a large disc cushiony gel wrapped in a tough membrane on its front side that acts as a shock absorber. Each vertebra also has two cartilage-lined facet joints on its back side. Working together, discs and facet joints allow the spine to safely bend and twist.

Your lower back also includes ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Ligaments are strong bands that hold the vertebrae and discs together. Tendons attach muscles to the vertebrae. These structures help limit excessive movement that could harm the spinal cord.

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Pulled Back Muscle Symptoms

The soft tissue in the lower back may become damaged for many different reasons, but some of the most common may include3:

• Twisting the spine or using poor form while lifting a heavy object
• Falling in a way that puts too much pressure on the spine
• Poor posture that stresses the connective tissues in the spine
• Sports injuries caused by pivoting, twisting, or physical impact
• A sedentary lifestyle followed by sudden intense exercise, since weak muscles and ligaments are more vulnerable to injury4

A sprain or strain in the back may cause symptoms such as5:

• Dull, aching pain in the lower back
• Difficulty standing, sitting, and twisting
• Stiffness in the lower back
• Muscle spasms
• Pain that radiates to other areaslower back sprains and strains may radiate to the hips or buttocks, while injuries in the upper back can cause neck or head pain

Although sprains and strains are different injuries, the treatment and symptoms are similar.

Effective Treatments For Pulled Strained Or Torn Back Muscle

Jenny Hills, Nutritionist and Medical Writer Health

Most people will suffer from back pain caused by a pulled, strained, or torn muscle in their back. Your back contains muscles, ligaments, and tendons that support your upper body, give you strength for performing tasks and help move your neck, shoulders, and arms. Pulling, straining, or tearing a muscle can cause shooting severe pain if you suffer an acute injury. Or, back muscle strain caused by overuse can cause deep aches and chronic pain that can affect your daily activities.

Treating muscle pain in your back usually requires getting plenty of rest to prevent irritating the inflamed tissue even more. Also, hot and cold treatment can be effective in speeding up the recovery time by helping to reduce swelling and inflammation. Pulled back muscle treatments also include essential oils that are effective to treat pulled, torn, or strained back muscles as well as Epsom salt bath.

In this article, you will learn about the best and most effective treatments for strained lower back muscles, pulled or torn upper and middle back muscles, and how to treat back pain in general.

First, its important to know something about the muscles in your back.

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What Makes Us Different

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When Is Lower Back Pain An Emergency

Most episodes of lower back pain eventually resolve on their own, but there are times when you should seek urgent medical attention. Some of these situations include:

• Patient is a child
• Pain is severe, constant, suddenly or progressively worsens, and/or doesnt go away
• Pain interrupts sleep

While some situations may warrant immediate intervention, most cases are not urgent and can be scheduled at a time convenient for the patient.

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Treating Lower Back Pain: How Much Bed Rest Is Too Much

Back pain is one of the most common reasons why people visit a health care provider. The good news is that the pain often goes away on its own, and people usually recover in a week or two. Many people want to stay in bed when their back hurts. For many years, getting bed rest was the normal advice. But current studies recommend no bed rest at all and stress that staying in bed longer than 48 hours not only wont help but it may, in fact, actually delay your recovery. Heres why:

Staying in bed wont help you get better faster.If youre in terrible pain, lying down for a day to help ease the distress may seem like a good idea, but moderating your activities and staying active in a limited way is a more effective way to control your symptoms. Research suggests that if you can find comfortable positions and keep moving, you may not need bed rest at all.Research shows that:

• Lying down longer than a day or two day isnt helpful for relieving back pain.
• People can recover more quickly without any bed rest.
• The sooner you start moving, even a little bit, or return to activities such as walking, the faster you are likely to improve.

Who needs bed rest?Almost no one! The only people who might require time in bed are those with unstable spinal fractures awaiting surgery.

When should I see a health care provider?You should see your health care provider right away if:

• Heat or ice
• Ultrasound
• Manipulation

Check with your health care provider before starting an exercise program.

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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When Should I Call My Healthcare Provider

• Youre unable to stand or walk.
• You have a temperature over 101.0°F
• You have frequent, painful, or bloody urination.
• You have severe abdominal pain.
• You have a sharp, stabbing pain.
• Your pain is constant.
• You have pain or numbness in your leg.
• You feel pain in a new area of your back.
• You notice that the pain isnt decreasing after more than a week.

Contact your healthcare provider immediately for the following:

• Pain radiating down the leg
• Pain that is accompanied by fever, weakness in the leg, or loss of control of the bladder or bowels

Epsom Salt Bath To Relieve Strained Muscle In The Back

One way to relax tense muscles and also relax your mind to ease muscle tension is to take a warm bath of Epsom salt.

Dr. Carol DerSarkissian on WebMD says that an Epsom salt bath can help to heal a pulled or strained muscle and ease many aches and pains. It is thought that magnesium and sulfate from the salts penetrate the skin and help relax stiff muscles.19

How to use Epsom salt for muscle repair:

To make a healing bath with Epsom salt to get rid of pain caused by pulled back muscle, this is what you should do:

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Treatment Of Low Back Pain In Athletes

There are numerous treatments for athletes with low back pain, many of them being non-invasive. Ranging from therapists to medications, athletes can feel relief and go back to their daily and physical activities with the right treatment. Below are the most beneficial treatments for athletes with low back pain.

How Can You Treat A Pulled Muscle In The Lower Back

April 13, 2020 by Dr. Clemens

Medical News Today

Pulled muscles, or strains, are common in the lower back because this area supports the weight of the upper body.

Anyone can get a lower back or lumbar strain, which can be very painful and make normal movement difficult.

In this article, we discuss the symptoms and causes of a pulled muscle in the lower back and explain what treatment options are available.

Symptoms

Symptoms of a pulled lower back include:

• loss of function and restricted movement
• difficulty walking, bending, or standing straight
• swelling and bruising
• sudden pain in the lower back

Overstretching or tearing ligaments, which are bands of tissue that hold the vertebrae of the spine in place, can cause a sprain. A strain is a tear in either a muscle itself or one of the tendons that attach the muscles to the spinal column.

Strains happen when a person stretches the muscles or muscle fibers beyond their normal range of movement.

Causes may include:

• sports that require pushing and pulling, such as football or soccer

Other risk factors include:

• bending the lower back excessively
• a weak back or abdominal muscles
• poor posture
• tight hamstrings

Treatment

Anyone who strains a muscle in the lower back should rest to avoid further damage. However, they should not stop moving altogether. Gentle movements that cause no pain can help expedite the healing process.

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, after a person pulls their lower back, they should:

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What’s The Treatment For Low Back Strain

Low back strain can be a painful and depressing injury. But the good news is that most cases heal on their own, given time. To speed the healing, you should:

• Ice your back to reduce pain and swelling as soon as you injure yourself. Do it for 20-30 minutes every 3-4 hours for 2-3 days. You can also ice your back after physical activity.
• Apply heat to your back — but only after 2-3 days of icing it first. Use heat on your back only after the initial swelling has gone down. You could use an electric heating pad or a hot water bottle. Or you could just soak in a hot bath.
• Take painkillers or other drugs, if recommended by your doctor. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , like Advil, Aleve, or Motrin, will help with lower back pain and swelling. However, these drugs may have side effects. They should be used only occasionally, unless your doctor specifically says otherwise. Prescription painkillers and muscle relaxants are sometimes necessary.
• Use support. Ask your doctor or therapist first, but consider getting a belt or girdle to add support to your back. Use it only short-term or for support with heavy or repetitive lifting.
• Get physical therapy to build up strength, if your doctor recommends it. Do not stay in bed or on the couch all day. That will make it worse.
• Maintain good muscle tone in your abdominal and lower back muscles.

When To See A Doctor

If the pain has not eased after 12 weeks, a person should see a doctor.

In some circumstances, a person may need to go to the emergency department or call 911. It is important to seek medical help if:

• a person hears a crack when they sustain the injury
• the injured part of the back is numb, discolored, or cold to the touch

• sit in a chair with lumbar support

The following tips may also be beneficial:

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How To Treat A Pulled Muscle

This article was medically reviewed by Luba Lee, FNP-BC, MS. Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support , Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support , Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Tennessee in 2006.wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article received 16 testimonials and 86% of readers who voted found it helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 1,139,485 times.

A pulled or strained muscle is one that has been overstretched due to physical activity, resulting in swelling and pain. Pulled muscles are common injuries that can usually be effectively treated at home. Learn how to care for your pulled muscle and decide when medical intervention is necessary.

Back Exercises And Stretches

Simple back exercises and stretches can often help reduce back pain. These can be done at home as often as you need to.

For information about exercises and stretches that can help, see:

• Versus Arthritis: exercises to manage back pain

A GP may be able to provide information about back exercises if you’re unsure what to try, or you may want to consider seeing a physiotherapist for advice. Read about how to get access to physiotherapy.

Doing regular exercise alongside these stretches can also help keep your back strong and healthy. Activities such as walking, swimming, yoga and pilates are popular choices.

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Moderate Pain Occurs Off And On For A Few Weeks

Pain from a pulled muscle may come and go for a few weeks until tissues fully heal. You might notice increased pain from actions or movements that place extra stress on the affected muscle, such as standing or sitting in the same position for a prolonged period. You may also experience tenderness or stiffness around the affected area.

When Back Pain Means More Than A Back Problem Health

If you have the following symptoms, or pins and needles, Sprains and strains to the muscles of the lower back can cause pain, sciatica is a form of pain that radiates along the sciatic nerve, thigh, Your sciatic nerve extends from your lower back, when in fact it is merely a symptom of problems in the lower back, and/or toes, Weakness in the hip, that hasnt responded to other therapy.

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