Muscle spasms in lower back

Introduction to back spasms

When a person is active, especially if that person is participating in sports regularly, then there is a chance that they will face problems with back spasms quite regularly.

Back spasms are involuntary contractions of the muscles in the back, and they can often be very painful and keep a person out of action fro quite a while.

They usually occur in the lower back rather than the upper area and they are quite diverse. However, it is clear that they are a response to some kind of injury or inflammation, most likely of the spinal region.

Sometimes the back muscles themselves will be injured or inflamed, but most of the time it is a spin issue, especially an injury to the vertebrae of the ligaments that connect them.

Many experts think that the back spasm is the body’s way of stopping a person from participating in strenuous activities, a type of natural warning for avoiding further injuries.

Injuries that cause a back spasm are usually injuries that are related to an overuse of the muscles, but, sometimes they can be caused by a singular traumatic injury.

Symptoms

The main symptoms that accompany back spasms are a sensitivity to motion and a severe pain coming from the back muscles and discomfort upon any movement of the legs or arms. Usually the pain is also related to any rotation and movement of the spine.

The discomfort and pain usually lasts a few seconds or minutes, and has a tendency to return abruptly.

They may appear when being active or when resting, however, it is probably best to lie down when they occur and remain still, because more movement can provoke new spasms to occur.

When a person is having back spasms they need to move and exercise with extreme care and avoid situation, such as heavy lifting, where the back is under great strain. Treatments

When a person is experiencing back spasms, the doctor will most likely be prescribing nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that will reduce the pain in the back. However, this is not the appropriate treatment if the back spasms are occurring because of damage to the spinal ligaments.

The doctor can also prescribe muscle relaxants while will ease the state of the back muscles when they are contracting. This will decrease the pain and increase mobility in the back, as long as the person does not try to move to suddenly and does not rush to resume normal activities.

If a person does not rest after taking these medications, they can easily injure the back even worse while the medication is working and the person does not feel the strain that he or she is putting on the spine.