What Is Causing Your Lower Back Spasms?
By Sara Butler
Muscle spasms are no fun. When you get a Charlie horse in your calf in the middle of the night, it's a rude awakening. And bending over to pick something up off of the floor only to have your back spasm and drop you to the floor is definitely no fun.
There are a lot of causes for lower back spasms that you should know about. In fact, the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic want to educate you about these causes in an effort to help you avoid back spasm and the back pain that accompanies them. Here's what you need to know.
The Causes
Injuries or inflammation are normally the culprits behind lower back spasms. How bad the spasms are can vary from person to person and the underlying condition that may be causing it. The most common causes of lower back spasms are:
- Lack of exercise - If you don't get enough exercise, then your muscles can become weak and don't properly support your back. Combine that with inflammation and muscle weakness from long periods of sitting and back spasms can occur.
- Poor posture - If you practice poor posture at home, in the car, or at work, then it places a strain on the back muscles. This can result in painful spasms of the muscles in the lower back.
- Sprains and strains - Strains are tears in the muscle or tendon while sprains are injuries to ligaments. Either can result in an injury that also includes muscle spasms in the lower back.
What You Can Do
When a muscle spasm in the lower back strikes, then there are a few things you can do to help. You should:
- Alternate heat and ice on the affected area, placing them on for 20 minutes at a time and leaving them off for 20 minutes
- Gentle exercise such as stretching and walking
- Gentle massage to help loosen up the muscles involved
- Relaxation techniques
If the pain doesn't go away or keeps happening, then don't put off getting to the chiropractor as soon as you can. Even if you manage to get it under control, it's still important to understand why it happened and take steps to ensure it doesn't happen in the future. The chiropractor can help you determine the underlying problem and address it to help keep lower back spasms at bay.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Columbia, S.C.