Muscular Low Back Pain

If you are suffering from Low Back Pain and it is believed to be of muscular origin, I would suggest the diagnosis is good news. Low Back Pain caused by trauma to the localised muscles in the region can be treated just as simply as any other muscular injury:

1) Relative Rest:

For the first day or two there is no harm in giving your back a little rest. By rest, I mean avoid aggravating it. This will vary from person to person, depending upon the severity of the pain.

Some people are able to be quite active and not aggravate their pain at all, as it is only when they become reasonable strenuous their pain increases. Under theses circumstance, although proceeding with caution, I would encourage them to be reasonably active.

On the other hand, some people will be almost confined to bed! Now without doubt the days are long gone whereby health professionals would advise people to spend days on end in bed (well hopefully anyway!) However, there is a time and a place for complete rest. If your pain is that bad you feel even the simplest of movements causes intense pain, your back is crying out for some rest and if this means in bed, then so be it.

However, even when in bed I would suggest you still move about every now and then if possible. Ideally I would suggest you move every 20 minutes or so, even if this is simply to change position or move slightly to one side and then back again.

How long can I stay in bed for?

As I have mentioned above opting for bed rest, although under extreme conditions is acceptable, it is still a last resort. I would suggest you stay in bed for no longer than 36-48 hours. By this time, especially if you are taking appropriate medication as well, you should find you pain is beginning to settle down and therefore you are able to become more and more active. If this is the case, complete bed rest is no longer needed.

However, if you find that after this period of time your pain is no better at all, it is definitely time to call a health professional. I am not implying there is anything to be concerned about, but nevertheless, the pain should be settling down by now and if it is not, it needs to be assessed professionally.

2) Exercise

Following relative rest, you should then begin to integrate an appropriate exercise programme. Initially, simply being active is more than enough exercise. However, as the pain begins to settle further, you would need to embark upon an appropriate exercise programme to address the cause of your back pain and also any scar tissue which may be present as a result of the muscular strain or tear.

With regards to appropriate exercises to address the cause of the problem, this may involve either stretching or strengthening exercises or a combination of the two. If the muscle which was strained was particularly tight, then it will need to be stretched out. However, the same, or other muscles, may also be weak. If this is the case, they may be trying to take on a workload which is too much for them, once again resulting in a strain. In these circumstances, the muscles concerned will need to be strengthened.

Finally, there is obviously a combination of the two, where some muscles may be tight, yet others maybe weak. Under these circumstances a combined exercise programme of stretching and strengthening is indicated.

If I may just add one thing before I finish and that is the diagnosis of a muscular strain is very commonly over diagnosed. As I mentioned at the top of this article, if it is a muscular strain you are suffering with, a fairly rapid 100% recovery should result, providing the appropriate action is taken.

If you feel you have taken the appropriate action and your pain is still not shifting, I would suggest it is not a simple muscle strain which is the diagnosis. Your pain may still be caused by tight and / or weak muscles (muscle imbalance), something which an exercise programme can readily resolve, I am just suggesting it is not a simple muscle strain and therefore may take a little longer to cure.