If you are dealing with excruciating pain in your lower back, it could result from a pulled muscle in the lower back.
In every five adults, four of them have at some point in life experienced lower back pain or have at least felt some of the symptoms associated with this disease.
Out of these four adults, one of them develops acute lower back pain for over a year.
Lower back pain could result from old age, inactivity/lack of exercising, obesity, poor posture and the lifting of heavy objects.
Children are no exception when it comes to lower back pain.
SIGNS OF PULLED BACK MUSCLE
A pulled muscle in lower back or a strained muscle often comes with a lot of pain.
The pain comes when you try to move. When you stay still, it drops, but it bounces back with a bang when the movement starts.
Symptoms of a pulled muscle in lower back include pain around the area slightly above the buttocks. This pain radiates here but never gets to the legs.
You also develop spasms or muscle cramps on your back, have trouble when walking or bending, and difficulty standing up when there is a strained muscle in lower back.
However, how do you tell if lower back pain is muscle or disc? Simple.
When the pain is due to a herniated disc, you have sharp pains when bending forward and backwards. Herniated discs also radiate pain to the legs, unlike in lower back pain. The legs become weak and numb as the muscles lose strength.
In severe case of a herniated disc, bladder and bowel movement is uncontrolled.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR A PULLED BACK MUSCLE TO HEAL?
Lower back pain is caused mainly an injury to soft tissues in the lower part of the spine, which affects the muscles, ligaments and tendons.
When you suffer from a pulled muscle in the lower back, it takes between four to six weeks to heal in mild cases. This is the standard pulled back muscle recovery time according to doctors.
However, when it comes to severe cases where there is extensive muscle tear, this can take several months to heal.
LOWER BACK MUSCLES ANATOMY
In understanding the lower back muscles anatomy, the lumbar spine (lower back) gives a weight balance of the head over your spine, reduces stress in the lower spine and uniformly distributes weight from the upper body.
There is also the lumbar spinal nerves going down to each leg where they form “sensory fibres”. The fibres send a message to the brain in case you feel pain in your knee. “Motor fibres” send a message of action to the brain to lift your leg.
The lower back also has five vertebral bones with discs between them. This allows the vertebrae to link with special joints while the lumbar spine joints with the thoracic spine and the hips.
Discs on the lower back absorb shock during movement of the spine while facet joints provide the spine with stability, allowing movement in different directions.
Lastly, the spinal cord moves from the brain to the spine and winds up on the lower back. Here, spinal nerves called cauda equine descend downwards.
7 FOOLPROOF WAYS TO FIX PULLED MUSCLE IN LOWER BACK
Treating pulled a muscle in the lower back is pretty easy. It is effective for mild cases which heal n 4-6 weeks.
Here are some of the tips to use in fixing that ache throwing you off balance:
1. WALKING
One of the major reasons why you may develop lower back pain as a result of pulled muscle is because of physical inactivity.
Physical inactivity builds stress around the spine, which is a recipe for lower back pain. When you take a walk, you healthily activate the spinal structure.
Short walks of between 3-5 minutes daily keep the spine active and reduce stiffness on the lower back.
2. AVOID STRENUOUS ACTIVITIES
Heavy lifting is one of the causes of lower back pain. When the load is too heavy, muscle injury is unavoidable. As a way to fix a strained muscle in the lower back, avoid lifting very heavy objects and take breaks. Also, break the lifting by a day or two.
Take note that not working the muscles causes deconditioning and stiffness but also calls for moderation.
3. STRETCH
Doctor Kojo Hamilton recommends lower back strain stretches to treat pulled muscle in the lower back.
He says gentle stretching boost tissue healing by increasing blood supply to the injured area.
The stretches activate the spine and help deflate the pressure build-up, which causes pain in your lower back. Once the pressure is expelled, stress goes down.
- USE ICE OR HEAT
Icing your back reduces swelling in the affected area. It reduces inflammation in case it was an injury. The correct way of using the ice is to wrap it in a towel and place it on the sore area for 10 to 20 minutes. This prevents ice burn.
After a few days, you can use a heating pad for at least 20 minutes. It gets rid of the pain completely.
5. USE PAIN MEDICATION
Pain medication is a convenient method of treating pulled muscle in lower back. It alters how the brain interprets the pain signals.
Common pain medication includes acetaminophen for the treatment of lower back pain. You can also include an opioid in this kind of treatment.
You can also use over-the-counter anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or naproxen, which reduces swelling and inflammation.
6. MASSAGE
Massage is great in reducing the tension between muscles in your lower back. It is effective in treating pulled muscle in the back.
The pain-relieving massage creams are readily available and are easy to apply whenever the pain creeps in.
7. REST
Bed rest technique is effective and comfortable too. It only requires a special technique which is lying on your back with a pillow under your knees.
Resting longer while in this position after a pulled muscle in lower back gives way to quick healing and strength build-up.
CONCLUSION
Straining a muscle on your lower back is sometimes unavoidable. It is painful and comes with a lot of discomfort.
However, it is easy to treat with “homemade” therapies proven to be effective. Nonetheless, you can still avoid battling back pain in entirety by staying safe and avoiding instances that can lead to lower back pain.
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