Lower Back Spasm Treatment: Spasm Relief, Stretches, and Prevention
Best Methods To Alleviate A Lower Back Spasm
Lower back spasms can cause a lot of pain, but there are ways to manage them and to alleviate the pain. Specific remedies such as the new Pso-Rite device, the Pso-Spine spine massager, and the adjustment of your regular habits may lead to pain reduction and to fewer relapses of back spasms.
Lower back spasms occur unexpectedly, triggering excruciating and debilitating pain. Oftentimes they occur as a result of physical injury and appear to be more frequent in pregnant women or sedentary individuals whose back muscles are weaker.
This article takes a closer look at a few of the best remedies and methods to address lower back spasms, including home remedies like the Pso-Spine device, as well as the best stretches that can help you strengthen your lower back muscles and prevent spasms from reoccurring.
What Are The Symptoms Of Lower Back Spasms?
As soon as a spasm occurs, you'll feel pain and tension in the area of occurrence. The spasm is the result of the involuntary and sudden contraction of a muscle. While some people may only feel a slight discomfort, others put up with intense pain.
Most people feel this spasm in a specific muscle in the lower back. Nevertheless, in some cases the pain may also touch nearby muscles causing tension and mobility issues. Some of these people may also feel pain in their hip or even in their leg.
Among the most common symptoms of lower back spasm there are:
- lower back tension
- moving or bending difficulties
- striking pain in the lower back
- chronic pain
- weakness of the lower back or hip muscles
- pulsating cramping sensation in the affected area.
Most people suffering from lower back spasms experience an even worse pain when they do certain things such as standing or sitting.
There are two basic types of lower back spasms: acute and chronic.
- Acute spasms happen unexpectedly, either when changing your position in bed or when you attempt to lift something heavy. They are extremely painful and they may render you unable to move.
- Chronic spasms occur at intervals, even in the absence of specific activities or injuries that may trigger the contraction of the muscles. In some cases, it is possible to experience chronic lower back spasms following a back injury.
Quick Relief For Lower Back Spasms
An acute lower back spasm can come with a lot of pain. Similarly, chronic back spasms can make it hard for the person to relax or to go ahead with their daily activities.
Here are a few methods to help you alleviate the effects of a lower back spasm:
Massage
You can reduce the pain intensity by applying firm pressure on the affected muscle. This will also lower the tension in the painful area.
The right way to perform this massage is by pressing on the affected area for 30 seconds to one minute by maintaining pressure, then rubbing the area with circular motions.
When you perform this massage, you should feel discomfort rather than pain. If it hurts or you feel a pulse, don't apply pressure at all. If you want, you can try a massage with the new Pso-Spine device, but make sure you don't experience pain while applying this massage.
Apply Heat Or Ice
Heat and ice can help alleviate the pain resulting from a muscle spasm. They are both effective methods to reduce inflammation, thus easing local tension in the muscle. You may even consider alternative hot and cold packs for maximum effectiveness.
Apply a hot pad for 20 minutes, take a 20-minute break, and then alternate with a cold pad for another 20 minutes. You can use a hot water bottle and an ice pack (frozen vegetables packs should also do).
Avoid applying very hot or very cold packs directly to the skin. Wrap them in a cloth before placing them on your body.
Take Over-The-Counter Medication
While you can take anti-inflammatory medication and painkillers, you should be aware that they won't have an immediate effect. You'll need to wait for about 30 minutes to one hour to feel a soothing effect.
Muscle Relaxants
In case of severe spasms, doctors may recommend muscle relaxants. Take them only as recommended and make sure you don't extend the duration of this treatment for more than 72 hours.
Hydration Measures
As muscle spasms can be a result of dehydration, you should consider drinking plenty of water or electrolyte drinks.
INTRODUCING PSO RITE
PSO-RITE is the newest self massage tool on the market. Its patented design mimics the hand and elbow of a massage therapist.
What does the PSO-RITE do?
- Increases circulation, relaxation and warmth to the muscles, and increases mobility. The PSO-RITE is used for muscle lengthening and joint decompression, which enhances physical performance. It also adds range of motion by releasing tension in the muscle allowing the joint to have more space, increasing mobility/movement.
- What is releasing? the cross link adhesions between the muscle fibers.
- Increasing Capacity which will increase your Performance
Where do you use PSO-RITE?
- Everywhere: Hip flexor, psoas, lower back, shoulder, neck etc.
- Along any muscle
The Pro-Rite devices can be very effective in loosening muscle tension. However, you should always discuss with a doctor your intention to use any of these devices to alleviate the tension resulting from a lower back spasm.
Stretches For Lower Back Muscles
Here are a few of the stretches and yoga postures that can help you manage your lower back spasm symptoms:
Try out all these stretches and stick to the ones that you're most comfortable with. As always, you shouldn't feel any pain while doing all these. A mild discomfort is normal, but striking pain is not. Feel free to use props and special massage devices such as the ones in the Pso-Rite series, but be very careful not to harm your health even further.
Long-Term Therapies
According to the recommendations of The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), you should avoid taking prescription medicines, opioids included, unless every other treatment has failed.
If needed, your doctor will recommend muscle relaxants to help relieve pain and muscle tension.
The AARP suggests to try these therapies for lower back spasms:
- Chiropractic care
- Massage
- Rehabilitation (physical therapy or exercise)
- Acupuncture
- Yoga
- Tai Chi
- Laser therapy
- Biofeedback
- Mindfulness meditation for coping with stress
You may need to undergo a combination of two or more therapies, in order to feel some noticeable results. Also, if you suffer from underlying medical conditions, treating them might help. Try to integrate more activity into your daily routine. Switching to a more active lifestyle could help you prevent lower back spasms from reoccurring.
Best Ways To Prevent Lower Back Spasms
Ways to guard your lower back:
- Trying to maintain a healthy and correct body posture throughout the day will help to protect against back pain and muscle spasms.
- Using of legs in lifting objects, not the back
- Use of soft mattress
Diagnosis
Always ensure that you don't mistake other types of lower back pain for muscle spasms.
If the pain persists for more than one day, you may suffer from other medical conditions such :
- fibromyalgia
- scoliosis
- osteoarthritis of rheumatoid arthritis
- narrowing of the spinal column
- spinal discs problems.
Outlook
Seeking medical advice is the right way to sort out such issues and to manage lower back spasms.
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