How To Help Treat A Pulled Back Muscle
Also known as twisting or pulling a muscle, a back strain or sprain can cause swelling, muscle spasms, and discomfort. Some of the most common causes of these symptoms include having weak abdominal or back muscles, as well as hamstrings that are too tight. A pulled back muscle can also occur from being overweight, engaging in motions that excessively curve the lower back, and playing sports that increase the risk of a lower back injury.
No matter why you are experiencing swelling or pain, you will enjoy a better quality of life if you decrease your symptoms and improve your mobility. In this guide, we will explain how to treat a pulled back muscle at home, as well as when it is time to talk to a doctor. With this information in mind, you will be able to design a back pain treatment plan that works best for you.
How Goodpath Can Help
A back strain can be a painful and frustrating situation. These movements are designed to lessen your discomfort from the injuries.
In addition to these exercises, there are other solutions that can help ease your back pain.
Take Goodpaths personalized assessment today. After analyzing your answers, we will build you a personalized treatment plan based on your medical history, your symptoms, and your lifestyle.
Complementary And Alternative Techniques Include:
- Acupuncture is moderately effective for chronic low back pain. It involves inserting thin needles into precise points throughout the body and stimulating them , which may cause the body to release naturally occurring painkilling chemicals such as endorphins, serotonin, and acetylcholine.
- Behavioral approaches include:
- Biofeedback involves attaching electrodes to the skin and using an electromyography machine that allows people to become aware of and control their breathing, muscle tension, heart rate, and skin temperature people regulate their response to pain by using relaxation techniques
- Cognitive therapy involves using relaxation and coping techniques to ease back pain
Spinal injections include:Trigger point injections can relax knotted muscles that may contribute to back pain. An injection or series of injections of a local anesthetic and often a corticosteroid drug into the trigger point can lessen or relieve pain.
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How Can I Manage My Symptoms
- Rest as directed. You may need to rest in bed for a period of time after your injury. Do not lift heavy objects.
- Apply ice on your back for 15 to 20 minutes every hour or as directed. Use an ice pack, or put crushed ice in a plastic bag. Cover it with a towel. Ice helps prevent tissue damage and decreases swelling and pain.
- Apply heat on your lower back for 20 to 30 minutes every 2 hours for as many days as directed. Heat helps decrease pain and muscle spasms.
- Slowly start to increase your activity as the pain decreases, or as directed.
Is It A Pulled Muscle In Your Back Or Something Worse
- DR. HAMID ABBASI
Could the back pain youre suddenly feeling be a pulled muscle? Or could it be something worse?
Youre out for a morning run and stop to tie your shoe. When you bend forward, you feel a sudden sharp pain in your lower back. Chances are good that youve pulled a back muscle.
In most cases, back pain in the lower back is caused by overstressing the soft tissues that support the lower spine. These muscles and ligaments support the bodys weight and hold the body upright. When they are pushed too far, the result can be a muscle strain or what we commonly call a pulled muscle. You feel it as a sharp, sudden muscle pain or spasm. Depending on the severity of the injury, pain from a pulled muscle can be mild or it can be severe.
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When & How To Seek Medical Care
If low back pain lasts for longer than one to two weeks, seek medical care. First, make an appointment with your primary care physician.
Seek immediate medical attention if any of the following symptoms are present in addition to back pain:
- Severe abdominal pain
- Unexplained fever
- Loss of control of your bowels or bladder
Risk Factors For Pulled Back Muscles
While that pulled back muscle may seem to come on suddenly, chances are it was a long time coming.
You could be ignoring some very important warning signs. Which means if youre not in pain now, you might want to sit up and pay attention.
Do you sit in a chair all day? Do you exercise incorrectly? Are you under tremendous stress? Are you dehydrated? Are you substantially overweight?
Did you honestly answer yes to one or more of those questions?
If so, then youre at greater risk of muscle imbalances, trigger point pain, and at higher risk for injuries like a pulled back muscle.
But when you do experience pulled back muscles what do you do?
Well cover that more in the next section.
Key takeaway: There are several risk factors that can make you more susceptible to pulled back muscles, including stress, poor posture, being overweight and even how hydrated you are.
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Is It A Pinched Nerve Or Pulled Muscle In The Lower Back
A pulled muscle occurs when you tear or overstretch some of the muscle fibers. This can happen if you overwork the muscle or twist it too hard. You will probably notice pain and swelling, and the area will be tender to the touch. You may even notice redness or bruising.
A pinched nerve, or nerve compression, happens when pressure in an area causes the nerve impulses to become partially blocked. You may experience a radiating, burning pain in the affected area.
While a pulled muscle in your lower back could potentially cause a pinched nerve, this can also be caused by a herniated disc in your spine. If you feel radiant pain that extends into your legs, see a doctor right away.
Left Side Low Back Pain
Many people experience muscle pain on only one side of their back. This can be due to compensating for a sore joint, like a hip or knee. For example, if one of your hip joints is weak, you may be putting strain on the opposite side of your lower back to make up for that.
However, lower back pain on your left side may also be due to:
If you do pull a lower back muscle, there are several things you can help relieve the swelling and pain.
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Laser Treatment For Back Muscle Pain
Besides the treatments above, one of the most promising therapies today is known as photobiomodulation therapy , formerly often referred to as low-level light therapy or LLLT. You are probably wondering How does laser treatment help back muscle pain? Using non-ionizing light sources, PBMT devices are able to penetrate the skin and modulate pain and inflammation without the use of invasive treatments and pharmaceuticals.
Wearing a comfortable laser light therapy belt such as our CuraviUltra, CuraviPlus, or CuraviPro can help you to find a new solution for your mild to moderate aches, muscle spasms, and inflammation. Explore our products today to find the output and coverage that fits you. With regular use, you can help mend your pulled back muscle, enjoy enhanced mobility, and feel less pain.
Is Your Task Creating Pain In The Back
A work that includes drawing, training, or twisting with the low back can trigger injury in addition to low neck and back pain. Also prolonged sitting in an unpleasant setting can create low back pain.
Depending on your feet for humans resources on end? That can trigger lower back ache as well. If you go to risk, the ideal ways to stop back distress is to recognize.
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Treating A Sprain At Home
Where Can I Get More Information
For more information on neurological disorders or research programs funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, contact the Institute’s Brain Resources and Information Network at:
Office of Communications and Public LiaisonNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and StrokeNational Institutes of HealthBethesda, MD 20892
NINDS health-related material is provided for information purposes only and does not necessarily represent endorsement by or an official position of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke or any other Federal agency. Advice on the treatment or care of an individual patient should be obtained through consultation with a physician who has examined that patient or is familiar with that patient’s medical history.
All NINDS-prepared information is in the public domain and may be freely copied. Credit to the NINDS or the NIH is appreciated.
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Effective Training And Excercise For The Back
Knee Pulls:
Best Otc Medicine For Lower Back Pain Due To A Pulled Muscle
Your lower back is called the lumbar region of the back. It has a great deal of considerable hauling to do. The back spine lugs the pressure of your entire top body, plus biomechanical anxiousness that come with the motions. Best Otc Medicine For Lower Back Pain Due To A Pulled Muscle
The back spine has 5 vertebrae foundations. Each vertebra has a large disc cushioned gel wrapped in a tough membrane on its front side that serves as a shock absorber.
Each vertebra also has 2 cartilage-lined aspect joints on its behind. Communicating, discs and likewise aspect joints allow the back to securely flex as well as turn.
Your lower back furthermore consists of tendons, ligaments, and likewise muscle mass. Tendons are strong bands that hold the vertebrae as well as discs with each other. Ligaments attach muscles to the vertebrae. These structures help hamper excessive mobility that can damage the back.
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How Can Back Sprains And Strains Be Prevented
It is not possible to prevent all back injuries, but you can take some steps to help lower the risk of a sprain or strain:
- Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet to keep your bones and muscles strong.
- Maintain a healthy weight. Excess weight puts added stress on the structures of the lower back.
- Exercise regularly, including stretching, to keep your joints flexible and your muscles in good condition.
- Practice safety measures to help prevent falls, such as wearing shoes that fit properly, and keeping stairs and walkways free of clutter.
- Use good body mechanics when sitting, standing and lifting. For example, try to keep your back straight and your shoulders back. When sitting, keep your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Dont over-reach, and avoid twisting movements. When lifting, bend your knees and use your strong leg muscles to help balance the load.
- Stop smoking. Nicotine interferes with blood flow to the muscles.
How Is Back Pain Treated
Acute back pain usually gets better on its own. Acute back pain is usually treated with:
- Medications designed to relieve pain and/or inflammation
- analgesics such as acetaminophen and aspirin
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and naproxen may be sold over the counter some NSAIDS are prescribed by a physician
- muscle relaxants are prescription drugs that are used on a short-term basis to relax tight muscles
- topical pain relief such as creams, gels, patches, or sprays applied to the skin stimulate the nerves in the skin to provide feelings of warmth or cold in order to dull the sensation of pain. Common topical medications include capsaicin and lidocaine.
Exercising, bed rest, and surgery are typically not recommended for acute back pain.Chronic back pain is most often treated with a stepped care approach, moving from simple low-cost treatments to more aggressive approaches. Specific treatments may depend on the identified cause of the back pain.
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Pulled Muscle In Lower Back Recovery Time
You should limit normal activity for the first few days after your injury but resume it as soon as you can after that time. Wait a few weeks before going back to an exercise regimen or sport.
Most people will be fully recovered within two weeks of the injury, but if the pain isnt getting better after a weeks time, see a doctor.
There are several things you can do to prevent straining your lower back, some that help strengthen it and others that are precautionary. These include:
- stretching and strengthening exercises
When Should I Contact My Healthcare Provider About A Back Strain Or Sprain
- You have severe pain and cannot walk more than a few steps.
- You have numbness in the area of injury or down your leg.
- You have injured your lower back several times before.
- You have a lump or area with an unusual shape.
- You have pain that interferes with sleep.
- You have obvious weakness in an extremity after an injury.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 11/09/2018.
References
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Apply Ice For The First Few Days After A Strain
How To Prevent Pulled Muscles In The Future
There are many ways to pull a muscle not just in sports or exercise, but daily life too. Maybe you tried to pick something heavy up too quickly, maybe you pushed a little too hard in your workout, or maybe you performed a movement with improper form. To prevent pulled muscles or muscle strains in the future, always practice good form when exercising and lifting heavy objects. Engage your core, keep your straight back and drive the power through your legs. Doing a proper warm up before any strenuous workout is always smart. Listen to your body and take rest days if your muscles are tired.
To learn proper exercise form, and browse our exercise library. Exercises are demonstrated by coaches in video form and include a step-by-step list as well.
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Try Doing Gentle Back Stretches
