What Causes a Muscle Tear, Pull or Strain in my Lower Back?
There are many underlying causes of muscle pulls, tears, and strains. In your back, these injuries are more likely to occur in the lumbar region of your spine (a.k.a. lower back) as this area endures quite a lot of tension, weight, and twisting.
Do you have pain in your lower back? Do you think it might be muscle damage? Answer these questions below to help determine if the cause of your pain might be muscle strain (a.k.a. a torn muscle)
Q: Do you lift heavy objects frequently?
Lifting heavy objects incorrectly can lead to tears and muscle pulls in your back, especially if you’re twisting while lifting such objects. To avoid this, learn 7 proper lifting techniques.
Q: Do you play sports that involve frequent turning/twisting?
Sports such as golf, basketball, football, etc. can lead to the wearing and tearing of your back muscles. These sports also tend to overuse your back muscles because you work the same muscles frequently.
Q: Have you fallen or experienced trauma recently?
A fall or accident may cause your back muscles and tendons to be overstretched, resulting in pulled or strained back.
Q: Do you practice good posture?
If you find yourself frequently slouching, this may be the cause of your torn back muscle pain. Poor posture forces your muscles to work harder to keep your body upright, placing extra stress and tension on those muscles.
What is your current posture stance? Take our quiz now to find out!
Q: Are you overweight?
Being overweight or obese can cause numerous health problems including a strained back, read below for more information.
Symptoms of a Strained Back Muscle
As mentioned above, the symptoms of a torn muscle may vary from individual to individual. The severity of your pain may be a result of the cause of your pulled back, your age, or another condition you may currently have.
The most common symptoms of a torn muscle, strained muscle, and pulled muscle include:
- Sore or tenderness in your lower back
- Pain that occurs suddenly
- Muscle spasms
- Pain increases when standing, walking, or twisting
- Stiffness in the back region
- Pain that radiates to your legs, buttock, or thigh areas
- Weakness in your muscles and tendons
It’s important to note that some of the symptoms listed above are similar to many other back conditions. To ensure if you have a pulled or strained muscle, get checked out by your doctor to be certain.
Do you think you may have a different back problem? Check out BraceAbility’s orthopedic library full of information on different back injuries including herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, kyphosis, and more.
Could Being Overweight Lead to a Pulled Lumbar Back?
If you are a larger or plus size individual, it can be very common for you to experience pain in your back, especially in the lower back region. Being obese is the number one cause of lower back pain, as this extra weight that you carry places more stress and tension on your back. This excess weight makes you prone to injuries in your back, spine, and shoulders. Read more about the dangerous impact of obesity on your back and spine.
In addition, being obese can result in poor posture, which is one of the causes of a strained, pulled, or torn muscle in your back. Wearing a posture brace can be a simple solution to avoiding such stance.
Wondering if you’re considered obese or plus size? Take this BMI quiz to help you figure out!
Are There Ways to Prevent a Muscle Strain, Tear, or Pull?
Although it can be hard to prevent a pulled back muscle from everyday activities such as twisting, bending, or lifting, there are some ways to avoid this injury.
Below are some tips to help avoid a lower back strain:
- Exercise your back muscles to help enable it to support your shoulders, spine, and head
- Try sleeping on your back or side; this will help avoid overextending your spine. You can also try using a pillow or a support between your legs to help.
- Avoid smoking; this will help blood flow to your muscles.
- Practice good posture, try our 21-day posture challenge to help train your muscles and back to stand upright!
- Eat a healthy and well-balanced diet. There are many positives to eating healthy, one being it helps strengthen your bones, muscles, and ligaments, which in turn makes you less prone to tearing your muscles
- Make sure you drink a lot of water while you exercise, especially if you workout everyday
- Lift with your legs, not your back! I’m sure you’ve heard this before-- but it is very important when trying to prevent pulling your muscles and tendons
- Stretching after physical activity can help loosen up your muscles
How Can I Treat My Pulled, Strained, or Torn Back Muscle?
Luckily for you, most pulled or strained lower back muscles heal on their own over time. Similar to the severity of symptoms, recovery time from a strained muscle depends on each individual. Typically, it takes around two weeks for an individual's condition to improve. Initially, a pulled muscle in back treatment involves conservative options at home.
Below are other treatment ways to help reduce your pain from a pulled, strained, or torn back:
- Anti-inflammatory medications are used to reduce swelling and pain
- Muscle relaxants (these are prescribed by your doctor)
- Massages to help promote blood flow
- Back strain exercises can help your back in numerous ways, from strengthening to stretching, check out our blog for the best exercises for a pulled back muscle
- Physical therapy to help maintain strength and stretch your torn muscles or ligaments
- Ice and hot therapy to help reduce swelling and stimulate blood flow. Try our ice and hot pain wrap to help you easily apply such therapy.
- Wearing back support braces to help provide stability to your spine, especially for those involved in lifting or sports. Back braces like these help prevent pulled back muscles by reducing the amount of twisting or bending your spine may endure throughout the day.
