What Are Lower Back Spasms and How To Treat Them?
Welcome to the One Care Medical Center, we are a premier orthopedic hospital in coimbatore. In this post let us briefly discuss on lower back spasms
Back Spasms
Back spasms are the general name for any involuntary contraction that occurs in your lower back muscles. You may feel this as a sudden tensing, cramping, or pain.
The American Chiropractic Association reported that around 8 in 10 people in the USA experience back spasms at least once in their lives.
Lower back spasms can vary in both frequency and intensity. Someone can have infrequent and almost painless spasms, while others have chronic long-term spasms that are intense and very painful.
For the most part, back spasms do not require surgery for treatment, but if the spasms begin to affect the spine and its nervous system, surgical intervention can be recommended.
Why Do Lower Back Spasms Occur?
Back spasms could happen for a number of possible reasons. Past injuries in the lower abdomen or back could have affected your tendons, ligaments, or muscles, and those could, over time, cause back spasms. Those who routinely lift heavy weights commonly experience back spasms.
There are other sports and activities that can cause back spasms from the amount of strain it places on your lower back muscles. These can be golf, football, or other similar sports that involve twisting the back.
If your abdominal muscles are not trained and conditioned well enough, your back becomes more prone to back spasms. These unconditioned muscles remain stiff and weak and are easier to damage.
You may also be prone to back spasms if you currently have or have had a ruptured spinal disc or a history of arthritis. If you suffer from a displaced spinal disc, the pain will come from the nerves and muscles. On the other hand, if your arthritis is in your lower back, your spinal cord will take too much pressure and you will feel pain in your legs and back.
How To Diagnose Back Spasms
If you feel sudden pains in your back, report this immediately to your healthcare specialist or doctor. They are likely to examine your back for bone fractures or arthritis through an X-ray.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging, or MRI, is also an option, as well as Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan. These are for examining other tissues aside from bones and even blood supplies.
The doctor will probably ask about the following:
When the pain begins?
When the pain goes away?
How intense the pain is?
The frequency of the pain?
If you notice any patterns such as pain after an injury or intense physical activity, you should mention this. It can help your doctor figure out the cause of your spasms.
How To Treat Spasms?
One easy do-it-yourself relief for lower back spasms is by alternating hot and cold on the area. Use ice and then a hot compress to bring back the blood circulation in that area.
You may also try over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines that also work as muscle relaxants to relieve the pain. This effect of muscle relaxants is well-supported by research.
If you consult your doctor, they might also recommend direct injections of cortisone, which is another anti-inflammatory medicine. However, there can be side effects, so be sure to discuss these with your doctor.
A more therapeutic solution would be chiropractic therapy. However, you should only try to find a chiropractor after extensively discussing the back spasms with your doctor. A proper diagnosis is required to find the proper care for your back, so make sure you know that the problem is in your muscles before visiting a chiropractor.
How To Prevent Back Spasms?
The best way to prevent back spasms is by taking care of your back. Your back could be under strain for plenty of reasons.
If you are overweight, your back might be carrying more weight than it can. If you have bad posture from your heels, knees, or spine, your back could suffer from that.
If you are not fit or don’t exercise, then the muscles in your abdomen and back may weaken. If you remain in one position for too long, such as sitting or lying down, your back could also suffer from this.
Because of these many reasons, it is best to consult a doctor to recommend how you can better care for your back. Do not self-diagnose in this case, since your back is a very sensitive part of your body.
Don’t worry if you find yourself with back spasms. If you find yourself burdened by the pain, this is entirely treatable, as long as you consult a doctor early on.
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