How to treat lumbar spasms (with photo) - tips

Video: 5 Ways To Relieve Muscle Spasms In Back

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Try walking while pressing your finger on the contracting back muscle.

Try hydrotherapy. While showering, turn on the hot water and let the water spray face your back for 2-3 minutes. Then turn on cold water and let the water spray face your back for 30 seconds. Repeat until the pain has subsided somewhat.

Start gently stretching as the inflammation subsides and the contractions of your back muscles subside. Muscle fiber stretching can help relax muscles and thereby ease back muscle contractions. Always stretch your muscles before doing any physical exercise.

Increase strength training in exercise habits. If you want to build muscle mass, make sure you balance back muscle exercises with other muscle groups.

Stretching exercises help increase the lower back and arm muscles, but you must not ignore the group of shoulder muscles. When exercising to strengthen your lower back, you need to combine shoulder blades to strengthen this muscle group.
Perform any gentle rowing exercise (1 weight, cable, elastic tube or machine) with maximum range of motion. The throbbing pain between the shoulder blades would quickly go away.
Inverse Fly exercises (squeezing the back instead of the chest muscles) can also help if you only have light weights. You may need to do this again and again if you practice rowing with a 0.5 kg weight. On the contrary, practicing Fly in reverse will save more time.

Use proper lifting technique to prevent further injury. Whether lifting 12.5 kg or 0.5 kg, you will need to follow these steps:

Approach the object you intend to lift. Place your feet on either side of the object and slightly backwards.
Hips bent and knees bent. Try not to bend your spine.
Pick up the object. Make sure to hold tightly.
Get up thanks to the thigh muscles and glutes. Squeeze your abdominal muscles to support your back muscles as you stand up.

Part 2 of 6: Reducing muscle contraction through heat or cooling

Apply an ice cube to the spasm position for the first 48-72 hours. Apply ice for 20 minutes, stop for an hour and a half, then apply for another 20 minutes. Repeat this cycle as often as you can for the first 2-3 days after the spasm of the back muscle begins.
- Use a thin barrier between the ice pack and the skin, such as a towel, for the ice cube to work properly without causing a cold burn. Ice helps reduce inflammation (a possible cause of spasms), while also reducing your likelihood of using dangerous and addictive pain relievers.
Start using a hot compress after 72 hours. Experts often recommend using a hot and humid object, such as a humidifier, a shower or a hot tub. High temperatures stimulate healing by sucking healthy blood cells into the spasmodic site. The high temperature also helps relax nerves and muscle fibers.
- Try the cold / hot pack cycle after the first 72 hours. Some physiotherapists recommend a hot compress before stretching and a cold compress after stretching.
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Part 3 of 6: Reduce muscle contractions with an over-the-counter pain reliever

Try Acetaminophen. Acetaminophen is a very popular over-the-counter medication for back pain and generally has few (if any) side effects. Unlike other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Acetaminophen relieves pain by reducing perception of pain in the brain. Acetaminophen addiction is very low and patients are less likely to be greasy or familiar with the drug. advertisement

Part 4 of 6: Rest

Rested. You don't have to rest in bed, but avoid activities that cause spasm or worsen spasms, including heavy lifting or some exercise.
- Get adequate rest at night and after excessive back muscle use.
You should only rest completely for about 1-2 days. Lying in bed for too long is often more harmful than beneficial when it comes to the treatment of spasms.
Leg elevation. Some patients report that they feel better after raising their legs. As you lift your legs, stop thinking about the pain of spasm and try focusing on relaxation techniques.
- Use pillows as a simple support tool.
- Lie on a hard mat or on the floor with your legs resting on an underlying support (or chair) while keeping your knees bent 90 degrees.
- Rest your legs or legs on the footstool while sitting.
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Part 5 of 6: Increase liquid supplementation

Drink a lot of water. Since spasms are linked to dehydration and electrolytes, it's important to drink enough fluids. Be especially careful about your water intake if you live in a warm climate or are being treated for a fever or vomiting symptom. advertisement

Part 6 of 6: Medical assistance

Know when to see a doctor instead of trying to wait for the pain to go away on its own. Lumbar spasms make you painful, exhausted, and debilitating. Therefore, you need to know when to stop trying to cure yourself, but seek professional help. See a doctor right away if:
- Severe and unbearable spasms of the back muscles.
- Frequent back pain and spasms, or a history of frequent occurrence. Lumbar spasms can be a potential symptom of other problems.
- Muscle spasms or back pain lasting more than 2 weeks.
Take a pain reliever. Doctors often recommend over-the-counter naproxen or ibuprofen.
- For more severe pain, your doctor may prescribe a muscle relaxant or give a group of Narcotic medications for a short time. Usually, muscle relaxants are prescribed in the early stages of treatment and for a short period of time.
- In some cases, some tricyclic antidepressants may be helpful in treating spasms. Tricyclic antidepressants are often prescribed to treat pain even when the patient is not depressed.
- In most cases, your doctor will prescribe some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Over-the-counter NSAIDs include ibuprofen and naproxen, but your doctor can also prescribe stronger medications in severe cases.
Get physical therapy or see an orthopedic doctor. Initially, experts will use treatments such as heat, ultrasound and muscle relaxation techniques to combat contractions. Then, the therapist will guide back-to-back strength and endurance exercises to help prevent pain from recurring.
- Some patients report that they notice an improvement in chronic back muscle spasms after receiving acupuncture. You can seek out a reputable acupuncturist who is qualified and experienced in reducing back muscle spasm.
Ask about Cortisone injections. Cortisone injections can provide pain relief for several months, especially if the pain spasms spread down the legs. advertisement

Advice

Realize that you may need to rest for a while at first if the spasm is severe and sometimes the movement of light weight triggers pain immediately. So you need to give your body time to recover.
Include certain foods or supplements in your diet. Deficiencies in certain nutrients, such as calcium or potassium, can lead to muscle spasms. Take a calcium supplement or eat a lot of cheese, yogurt or drink milk to boost calcium. Bananas, potatoes, and wheat bran are some of the more potassium-rich foods you can include in your diet.
Get a gentle massage from a professional or a family member and hopefully help relieve the contractions.
Try acupuncture to reduce back muscle spasms. Research has shown that acupuncture has a significant positive effect, sometimes more effective than other treatments.
Lumbar spasms rarely require surgery, unless they are caused by a anatomic disability or cause persistent pain and progressive muscle weakness.

Warning

Do not sleep with a cold or hot compress on your skin. This action can cause cold burns, nerve damage or burns.
Don't do any physical activity if you are on muscle relaxants. Sometimes, muscle relaxants can ease back muscle contractions that make you think you are capable of doing certain activities. However, physical activity will make the injury worse.
Opioid pain relievers and powerful pain relievers used to treat back pain can cause serious side effects, even death, including liver damage, especially if taken in high doses for a long time. Absolutely do not drink these drugs with alcoholic beverages.
Do not apply ice cubes to bare skin. Always keep an ice pack from your skin to prevent cold burns. Using ice itself is usually not complicated, as long as it's not applied for more than 15 minutes or on a large area of skin. Wrap an ice pack in a thin t-shirt if necessary.