What is Muscle Tension and Spasm of the Back?

Muscle tension due to stress has probably happened to everyone at one time or another.

What causes muscle tension?

Emotional or heavy physical stress can translate to stiffening of the back musculature or any other area that a person over- tightens in an attempt to deal with a situation. If this tension remains for too long it can lead to repetitive strain of the musculature and thereby set off a pain/spasm cycle of muscle irritation and extreme stiffening. This will set off inflammation to the soft tissue structures. Therefore, it is important to get at the source of the tension and take preventative steps for eliminating the stress and helping the muscles return to their normal state of relaxation.

As each Muscle Tension related condition is different, always consult your doctor to determine what treatment is right for your particular situation.

Back spasm

What is back spasm?

A spasm is a spontaneous, abnormal contraction of a muscle. When it occurs in the back near the spinal cord or the nerve roots, it can be very painful.

Symptoms

• The patient feels a sudden pain in the lower back while twisting, pushing or pulling. At first, it may be possible to continue the exercise. But after two to three hours, bleeding in the muscles stretches the torn muscle and tendons
• The spasm that results causes severe back pain that gets worse with any movement of the back. The patient usually prefers to lie still, curled up with the knees bent and the spine arched forward

Causes and Risk Factors

Spasms happen often when

• A muscle is swollen and tender (inflamed) or strained.
• Any great force can tear the muscles and tendons of the lower back. This occurs commonly in sports like weight lifting, football, basketball, baseball or golf that require pushing or pulling or sudden twisting of the back.

Factors which enhance the risk of back spasm are:

• A pelvis that tips forward more than normal
• Any back weakness such as arthritis, spondylolysis, spondylolisthesis, disk rupture, spinal stenosis or a tumor
• Lordosis
• Tight hamstrings, the tendons that run down the back of the legs
• Weak or inflexible muscles along the spine
• Weak stomach muscles

Diagnosis

A doctor will take the patient's medical history and do a physical examination. The exam may show tenderness at a specific point or a general spasm and tenderness in the back that gets worse with any movement, especially bending forward.

Point tenderness on the spine with more pain when the spine is extended should be checked for fracture.

Treatment

As soon as possible after the injury, the patient should be treated with

• rest
• ice
• compression

Often conservative treatment is tried first. This includes muscle relaxants, anti-inflammatory medicine, pain management (injections) or chiropractic care.