How long back spasms last

When should you call for help? Where can you learn more? Top of the page. Your Care Instructions A back spasm is sudden tightness and pain in your back muscles. How can you care for yourself at home? Heat, ice, and medicines To relieve pain, use heat or ice whichever feels better on the affected area. Put a warm water bottle, a heating pad set on low, or a warm cloth on your back.

Put a thin cloth between the heating pad and your skin. Do not go to sleep with a heating pad on your skin. Try ice or a cold pack on the area for 10 to 20 minutes at a time.

Put a thin cloth between the ice and your skin. Ask your doctor if you can take acetaminophen such as Tylenol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen. Your doctor can prescribe stronger medicines if needed. Be safe with medicines. Read and follow all instructions on the label. Body positions and posture Sit or lie in positions that are most comfortable for you and that reduce pain. Try one of these positions when you lie down: Lie on your back with your knees bent and supported by large pillows.

Lie on the floor with your legs on the seat of a sofa or chair. Lie on your side with your knees and hips bent and a pillow between your legs. Lie on your stomach if it does not make pain worse. Do not sit up in bed. Avoid soft couches and twisted positions. Avoid bedrest after the first day of back pain. Some effective treatments include:. A painful back muscle spasm can make it difficult to perform daily activities or even move. Pushing through the pain may lead to further injury and delay recovery.

Rather than trying to push through the pain, give it a rest. For example, stay home for the day and take it easy. Just remember to move as tolerated, such as by going for short walks.

Prolonged inactivity can stiffen your muscles and lead to more pain. In general, walking is gentle on your back and promotes blood flow, which in turn helps speed the healing process. However, in some cases uneven ground or walking down or uphill can exacerbate an underlying reason for the muscle spasms. If that occurs, pay close attention to what aspect aggravates the symptoms and try to avoid it if possible. Applying ice wrapped in a protective sheath or towel, or a cold pack, to the painful part of your back is another way to help relieve an acute flare up of pain.

As a general guideline, cold therapy will help reduce local inflammation, which in turn contributes to relieving pain. You can use a commercial ice pack or make one yourself. Cold therapy can be applied for 15 or 20 minutes, then give the skin a rest for a couple hours before the next application. Applying a heat pack or heating pad to the affected area can bring increased blood flow and soothing pain relief. In cases of severe pain, home attempts at treatment are no substitute for professional medical help.

Treatment depends on the root cause. If the muscle spasm has occurred due to a sprain or overuse, the tips mentioned above will work. But if the spasm has occurred due to some other illness, these tips will only help you relieve the pain temporarily.

The Backrack is a unique, non-invasive spinal decompression device that has been designed by top specialists to treat the root cause of back muscle spasms. It is:. Skip to content. My account Shop. Facebook page opens in new window Twitter page opens in new window YouTube page opens in new window Linkedin page opens in new window Pinterest page opens in new window Instagram page opens in new window. What is back muscle spasm? What does it feel like? Symptoms of lower back pain:. Sudden intense pain in the lower back Tension in the lower back Difficulty in moving after bending or picking something up Weakness in the lower back Cramping in the back.

What are the common causes of back muscle spasm? How to deal with a muscle spasm on your own? Following are few tips to treat back muscle spasm at home: The first step is to stop doing whatever triggered the spasm in the first place. Then gently stretch and massage the spastic muscle.