How to Treat a Hurt Back Muscle
A hurting back muscle is a common problem many people struggle with every day. The underlying discomfort can interfere with daily activities, making easing back pain challenging.
Whether clear on the cause or still figuring it out, treating a pulled-back muscle can significantly reduce your discomfort; patience is vital. Let’s discuss how to treat an injured back muscle, and you’ll see that it only takes a few minutes to start.
Move Slowly
A person is at an increased risk of falling when they have a hurt back muscle. Be sure to stroll and avoid overt pulls or pushes quick movements, or jerks of the body.
If you’re expecting to be off your feet for a while, do not rest. By doing nothing, you can weaken your back and delay your recovery.
Wear a Back Brace
A back brace helps you maintain a strong, healthy sitting and standing posture. Poor posture can lead to all sorts of issues. A back brace can also help you keep that posture when you exercise or exercise.
Use Compression Bandages
Compression bandages can be hard to apply around a back muscle, but if done correctly, they will reduce swelling and repair damaged tissues faster. Compression bandages gently squeeze and release the muscle, mimicking natural muscle contractions and stimulating blood flow.
Take Walks
A walk or getting up and moving your legs for five minutes shifts your posture and stress. Take walks as often as you can just to keep yourself moving and to avoid remaining in the same position for an extended period.
Try a Massage
Massages increase blood flow, loosen muscles, and reduce stiffness and tension in the body. An injured tissue applied with a light massage may be needed to ease your way into feeling better. This may eliminate some of that unpleasantness.
Avoid Repetitive Movements
Repetitive movements won’t help a hurt back. Any bending, crouching, or reaching isn’t something you should do with a hurting back muscle. Instead, rest it. Take a few days to recover.
Avoid Heavy Lifting
Lifting is unsafe with your back on your back. It doesn’t even need to be heavy. Many parents mistakenly pick up their children, which can cause extreme discomfort in their pulled-back muscles. Be gentle and avoid lifting.
Careful Back Stretches
Exercise can ease the pain of a hurt back muscle, but it must be done carefully and correctly. Before beginning a program, you may want to discuss an exercise program or hurt-back muscle stretches with a physical therapist. In addition to exercise therapy, incorporating effective pain management strategies such as a TENS unit for back discomfort can be beneficial.
Here are some common exercises to try in a quick exercise program, starting with a few repetitions per muscle daily and building up from there.
- Knee-to-chest stretch
- Lower back rotational stretch
- Bridge exercise
- Arch and cat stretch
- Shoulder blade squeeze
- Try Cryotherapy
Cryotherapy is the application of cold. While there are cryotherapy sessions, cold water can be used by putting on a cold bag. When you apply ice to the pulled muscle, you ease pain, reduce swelling and inflammation, and heal. Apply a cold pack for 15-20 minutes at a time.
Apply Heat to the Area
Heat helps as well. Heat brings circulation to the area and can ease discomfort if you feel particularly stiff. Many people will alternate cold and hot as a form of therapy and find that it helps tremendously reduce the pain involved in a hurting back muscle.
Talk to a Medical Professional
Unless you know how you got a hurt back muscle, always talk to a doctor before ignoring the injury and treating it at home. Things like worn discs or broken bones can feel like strained muscles. Be sure to talk to a medical professional if you have any doubts about the cause.
Use Pain Medicines Only When Needed
If you have pain medicines at home, such as NSAIDs, they may reduce swelling. If your doctor prescribed you pain medicines, these should not be relied on. They should always be taken as needed and according to the directions provided.
Be Patient
If that is your feeling, it takes 4-6 weeks to resolve a hurt back muscle. However, if a hurt back muscle is believed to be a muscle tear, it can require months of healing. Either way, be patient.
