Treatment Of A Strained Or Pulled Muscle
Grade II and grade III muscle strains should be attended by a doctor who may or may not refer to a therapist for follow-up. A grade I pulled back muscle usually can be treated at home with simple home care remedies, such as applying rest, ice, compression, elevation . This format of therapy for a minor muscle tear is usually sufficient and should result in gradual and consistent improvement on a daily basis if daily progress is not noted or regresses without a good reason, a grade I muscle pull should be seen by a doctor for evaluation.
More Ways To Prevent Future Back Spasms:
Maintain a healthy weight if youre overweight, you increase the stress on your spine and joints.
Improve your posture improper postures such as being hunched over all day can increase your risk of back spasms. Ensuring that you maintain proper posture, and using ergonomic aids when needed provide the stability and strength that your back needs and minimizes your risk of back spasms.
Exercise regularly engaging in a stretching and strengthening program for your back and core muscles, and regularly participating in some form of cardiovascular activity, will help to keep your back healthy and minimize your risk of back spasms.
Warm up and cool down before exercising properly warming up and cooling down before and after exercise can help prevent your muscles from becoming fatigued, strained, or injured. Before working out, try jogging in place and doing sport-specific movements that help to get your heart rate up and blood flowing to your muscles, ligaments, tendons, and joints. After your work out, take about 10 minutes to stretch the major muscle groups of your body to help prevent muscle spasms.
Stay hydrated dehydration can lead to muscle spasms. Ensure that youre consuming enough water for your body size and activity level helps to minimize your risk of back spasms.
Muscle Strain In Your Back
Pulled muscles are also known as strains, which can affect either the muscle itself or the tendon, which is a thick band of tissue that connects the muscle to the bone. Muscle strains can range from a mild or moderate overstretch of the muscle or a partial tear. In severe cases, a strain may indicate a complete tear.
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons explains that sports like soccer, football, hockey, wrestling and other contact sports put you at risk for muscle strains. They also cite explosive sports that require quick starts, like hurdling, long jump and running races, as potentials for acute strains.
Overuse sprains are a result of a chronic overuse of lower back muscles or tendons. According to the Cleveland Clinic, poor posture, weak abdominal muscles, tight hamstrings and being overweight can put undue stress on your lower back muscles, which increases your risk for a muscle strain.
These problems are all preventable with an exercise program that focuses on proper stretches for the hamstrings, strengthening of the abdominal muscles and proper instruction on how to lift and handle heavy objects.
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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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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:
- 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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How Is Low Back Strain Treated
- Acetaminophen decreases pain and fever. It is available without a doctors order. Ask how much to take and how often to take it. Follow directions. Acetaminophen can cause liver damage if not taken correctly.
- NSAIDs , such as ibuprofen, help decrease swelling, pain, and fever. This medicine is available with or without a doctors order. NSAIDs can cause stomach bleeding or kidney problems in certain people. If you take blood thinner medicine, always ask your healthcare provider if NSAIDs are safe for you. Always read the medicine label and follow directions.
- Muscle relaxers help decrease pain and muscle spasms.
- Prescription pain medicine may be given. Ask how to take this medicine safely.
- Surgery may be needed if your strain is severe.
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Symptoms Of Lower Back Muscle Strain
A lower back muscle strain usually causes some combination of the following symptoms:1
- Localized or diffused lower back pain
- Tightness and/or stiffness in the affected muscle
- Swelling in the affected area
- Redness of the skin over the lower back, caused by bleeding within the muscle tissue
- Difficulty in performing bending and/or twisting movements
While grade I and II injuries may only cause localized pain and may allow you to continue with your normal activities, a grade III sprain typically causes excruciating pain with significant disability.1
The pain more commonly starts as a delayed onset muscle soreness but may appear suddenly in cases of severe injury. Lumbar muscle strains may be accompanied by painful muscle spasms as your body works to stabilize your injury.
- Understanding Lower Back Strain
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What Is A Pulled Back Muscle
Back pain is incredibly common in our society. 80% of the population will experience an episode of low back pain at some point in their life. True muscle strains in the lower back are rare. Most muscle pain in the lower back is due to muscle spasms from other lumbar spine injuries. Disk injuries are more likely because they are more easily injured.
The quick answer is a muscle strain or “pulled” muscle in the back can happen if the back muscles become overstressed or stretched to the point in which fibers are damaged. Unlike a hamstring strain, lumbar strains are not very common, but they can happen with improper lifting or trauma. Muscles in the lower back have a good blood supply, so they typically heal well. Recovery may vary when considering sprains vs. strains.
Light Exercises And/or Dynamic Stretches For Low Back
This roundtable discussion with doctors discussed the importance of movement and exercise for people with a low back spasm, and not resting too much.
Use Caution:
The three simple exercises below will help mobilize and stretch the strained area, as well as activate and strengthen surrounding areas, which can help with long-term pain relief.
Leonâs Notes:
Furthermore, ONLY DO THESE EXERCISES/STRETCHES ONLY after your pain has lessened⦠So you may want to start doing these only after 3-6 days have passed.
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How Can I Prevent Low Back Strain
Here are some tips to help you avoid low back strain:
- If you feel any low back pain during physical activity, stop.
- If you feel low back pain within a day of stepping up your workout, take it easy for a few days.
- Get your back in shape. Exercise and stretch your back muscles regularly.
- Avoid sleeping on your stomach. Sleep on your back or your side, and wedge a pillow under or beneath your legs.
- When picking up something heavy, bend at the knees, not at the waist.
- Lose weight if you are overweight.
- Adopt good posture. Sit straight in chairs, with your back against the chair’s back.
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What Is The Outlook For People With Lower Back Pain
The outlook depends on the cause of pain. Most people with back strains and sprains recover and do not have long-term health issues. But many people will have another episode within a year.
Some people have chronic back pain that doesnt get better after several weeks. Older people with degenerative conditions such as arthritis and osteoporosis may have symptoms that get worse over time. Surgery and other treatments are effective at helping people with a range of injuries and conditions live pain-free.
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Should You Massage A Pulled Muscle
Massage. Therapeutic massage helps loosen tight muscles and increase blood flow to help heal damaged tissues. Applying pressure to the injured muscle tissue also helps remove excess fluid and cellular waste products. A 2012 study found that massage immediately following an injury may even speed strained muscle healing.
How To Know When Back Pain Is Muscular
If youve ever suffered from aches and pains in your back, youre not alone: According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 75 to 85 percent of Americans experience back pain at some point in their lives.
But knowing whats causing your pain can be challenging. The most common complaint is what we characterize as non-specific low back pain, which means we havent identified a specific underlying source for why that individual has back pain, says Craig Van Dien, M.D., a sports medicine and physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute. In most cases, this is muscle-based pain or a muscle strain.
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Muscle Strain Or Injury
A spasm in the back can occur as the result of any type of strain or injury to the soft tissues of the back, including the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. For example, heavy lifting, as well as sports that involve sudden and repetitive movements, are common causes of muscle spasm in the back. However, any type of activity that puts excessive strain on the muscles of the back can lead to an injury, and subsequently muscle spasm.
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When To Get Medical Care For A Pulled Muscle
See a back specialist or chiropractor, or go a hospitals emergency department for a pulled muscle if:
- You hear a clicking or popping sound during the injury that strained your back muscle
- The pain you feel is greater than average
- The pain does not respond to the usual over-the-counter meds that usually help you
- There is more than a little swelling of the injured area
- Any degree of fever is present
- You have an open wound s a result of the injury
- These home remedies do not begin to reduce your back pain and muscle tightness in 48 hours
A pulled back muscle can be a painful and serious problem that will stop you in your tracks, and can lead to further problems if it is not handled correctly from the onset. Use these simple and effective steps to keep a pulled muscle in the back from becoming a larger problem.
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Persistent Low Back Pain
Nonspecific low back pain is classed as chronic if it lasts for longer than six weeks. In some people it lasts for months, or even years. Symptoms may be constant. However, the more usual pattern is one in which symptoms follow an irregular course. That is, reasonably long periods of mild or moderate pain may be interrupted by bouts of more severe pain.
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.
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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Exercise To Loosen Muscles
Although it may seem counterintuitive to exercise when lower back pain is causing you grief, the right kind of movement can help eliminate the discomfort. Its always important to consult your physician before you engage in exercise when you have pain, but this conversation is well worth having if youre suffering.
First, you should keep in mind that not all exercise is beneficial in combating back pain. Try to avoid toe-touch exercises and sit-ups, which may add to the stress on your spine instead of relieving it. Leg lifts are another exercise to stay away from when you are hurting. If your core is not strong, leg lifts could be too demanding on your body if youre already experiencing pain.
Several types of exercises can be useful when you need to relieve back pain. Partial crunches can aid in strengthening your core without applying too much pressure to the area. Slow and controlled wall-sit exercises may also be useful. Other repetitions to consider include bringing each knee to the chest in succession, pelvic tilts, and swimming.
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Treating Lower Back Spasms
If your spasms do begin after an injury or an activity that stressed the muscles, try alternating ice and heat on your back. Ice will help reduce inflammation and heat may help improve blood flow.
Medications such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and muscle relaxants may help relieve symptoms while the muscles heal. Research from a 2016 review of studies supports the use of muscle relaxants for significant pain relief from short-term muscle spasms.
Injections of anti-inflammatory medication may also help. But there are potential side effects with every medication. Ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of these injections.
Chiropractic care may help, but be sure to see a doctor to have your condition properly diagnosed first. Physical therapy to help strengthen your back and abdominal muscles is often recommended.
In the middle of a back spasm, slowly make your way to the nearest comfortable chair or sofa. Here, you can try the following:
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