Back spasm is an extremely painful condition that occurs when there is a sudden involuntary contraction of back muscles. The origin of pain is the area around the spinal cord, and it mostly affects the lower part of the back. The main symptom is a severe form of back pain which intensifies with any kind of movement of the back. Usually, the pain starts while doing activities like pulling, pushing, lifting heavy weights, or twisting of the back, particularly during exercises. Within a few minutes of contraction of the muscles, blood starts rushing towards the damaged muscles or tendons and causes inflammation in the area.
Causes
Spasm occurs when there is swelling or strain in the back muscles. This can happen due to some bad back injury or excessive use of the muscles for a prolonged period of time. Any underlying diseases like arthritis, spondylolisthesis, spondylolysis, formation of tumor near the spines can weaken the back. Lordosis is one such condition, where the curvature of the vertebral column is abnormally bent forward. This puts a lot of pressure on the muscles and ligaments that give support to the back. If the muscles around the spine are weak and inflexible, then they are prone to painful contraction. Hamstrings are the tendons that are present at the back of the legs. If there is a muscle fatigue due to some reason, then it can lead to back spasm. Weakness in the muscles of the stomach can also be responsible for causing this kind of painful muscular contraction.
Treatment
The first thing that needs to be done when you get muscle spasm in the back is to give complete rest to your back. Even slight body movements can adversely affect the spasm. Therefore, you should lie down immediately on a firm surface like a carpeted floor and let your back muscles relax. When you are lying flat, place two-three pillows under your knees for better relief. Put a hand towel in rolled condition under the neck to ease off the pressure from it.
For the first two days, application of ice to the injury site will give a soothing effect to the pain and restrict the blood flow to the affected spot. As a result, the swelling can be controlled. Never place ice directly on the skin. Take the ice cubes in a packet, wrap the ice packet in a towel, and then place it over the muscle strain for around twenty minutes. Reapply it again after half an hour. Continue this treatment for the next one or two days depending on the swelling and the pain.
It is advisable to always keep your legs in the elevated position. Lying down on the floor and placing the lower legs on a chair is the best posture, which helps take off a lot of pressure from the back region. While sleeping, keep the legs above a number of pillows, and while sitting, keep your foot on a foot stool.
For the purpose of pain relief, anti-inflammatory medicines and muscle relaxers are prescribed. If the pain is severe, then injections may be administered for back pain relief. There are over-the-counter medicinal creams available, which when applied, can provide relief from the back pain. An excellent home treatment is massaging the back with eucalyptus oil or mustard oil.
You have to be very careful about your sleeping posture in order to speed up the recovery. The mattress on which you are sleeping should be firm, and also, never sleep with the face down position. Once the pain subsides, your doctor will recommend certain back and leg stretching exercises. These exercises will release the tension from the back muscles, strengthen them, and make them more flexible. As a result, there is a minimum possibility of the recurrence of back spasm. However, at any point of time, if you find that the exercises are increasing the pain, then stop performing them immediately.
Disclaimer: This HealthHearty article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.
