Pulled Back Muscle

Back pain is one of the most common reasons for doctor’s visits in New York City. One of the most common reasons for back pain is a pulled-back muscle. Dealing with a pulled muscle in your back hampers multiple areas of your life. The overstretched or torn muscle can deliver just a slight twinge or severe back muscle pain.

Your pain doctor specializes in helping you treat a pulled muscle in your lower back. He considers your lifestyle, range of motion, and other factors to help you return to your previous injury-free life. He educates you to prevent this type of injury from recurring. In our sports injury clinic, our doctors and pain management specialists offer the most advanced pulled-back muscle treatments.

What Causes a Pulled Back Muscle?

Pulled back muscles usually occur due to some type of injury. Your body is stressed or unable to perform a certain movement. The muscle can’t handle the workload. The injury can be due to a number of reasons including:

Overuse of the muscle
Overloading the muscle
Sports injury including back or neck injury
Weak muscles
Poor lifting techniques
Falls
Unexpected twisting
Repetitive motion. It can take weeks or months to develop into a pulled muscle, even if the strain on your muscles is low.
Remaining in a static position for long periods. This causes back and neck problems as muscles become fatigued and strained.
Lifting or working when fatigued
Poor posture

Injury results in inflammation. Inflammation is a normal part of the healing process. But if the swollen tissue is tender, it can press on nearby nerves causing pain. If the injury occurs from overuse, such as raking the yard, shoveling the driveway, or throwing a ball, the injury heals with rest. If you do not rest, chronic problems set in.

What Are the Symptoms of a Pulled Muscle in the Back?

Strain from overuse and overextension occurs in your lower back, especially with any kind of twisting motion. A pulled muscle in the lower back results in pain, inflammation, muscle weakness, back muscle spasms and stiff muscles. This is your body trying to prevent further injury.

Depending on the severity of the strain, swelling, and bruising, you may lose your ability to move. The recovery time for healing depends on the severity of the sprain. Your adherence to your pulled back muscle treatment can speed up healing. You may need six to eight weeks of rest and other therapies.

Persistent back pain should be evaluated with a thorough consultation and examination. A pain physician will give you an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan. It may be a symptom of a serious illness or condition that needs a full evaluation by a pain management doctor. Your doctor formulates an appropriate workup of a back muscle pain treatment.

When Should You See Our Pain Specialist If You Have a Pulled Muscle in Back?

Most back strains and pulled back muscles resolve themselves with time and rest. There are instances when medical treatment is necessary. Make an appointment with your doctor if:

A clicking or popping noise occurred at the time of injury
Your pain is greater than average
Your pain doesn’t respond to over-the-counter pain relievers
There is significant swelling and/or bruising at the site of injury
You have any fever present
There is an open wound at the site of the injury
Normal home remedies don’t provide relief after 48 to 72 hours

Your NYC sports and pain specialist gives you a thorough exam. He asks about your medical history, including any recent accidents. Once your doctor reaches a diagnosis, he may suggest some additional treatments for your pulled back muscles.

Back pain can be related to underlying spinal pathology or nerve root problems. Spinal pathology is any disease or injury related to the back. It can range from a herniated disk to scoliosis. Nerve root problems result in radiating pain caused by a compressed nerve. According to a study on PubMed possible red flag conditions indicating underlying spinal pathology or nerve root problems include:

Onset age < 20 or > 55 years
Non-mechanical pain (unrelated to time or activity)
Thoracic pain
Previous history of carcinoma, steroids, HIV
Feeling unwell
Weight loss
Widespread neurological symptoms
Structural spinal deformity
Indicators for nerve root problems
Unilateral leg pain > low back pain
Radiates to foot or toes
Numbness and paraesthesia in same distribution
Straight leg raising test induces more leg pain
Localized neurology (limited to one nerve root)

Call our office to make an appointment with Dr. Melepura pulled-back muscle treatment specialist in Midtown New York. If you experience any of the above symptoms it could be a sign of a serious condition(s). A trained back pain specialist like Dr. Melepura is familiar with the signs and can make an accurate diagnosis. He provides an individualized treatment plan for your back pain.

What Are the Pulled Lower Back Muscle Treatments?

Most treatments for pulled-back muscles focus on symptom management and support for your back as it heals. Compliance with your doctor’s recommended back muscle pain treatment encourages quicker healing and a greater chance of complete recovery.

Treatments for a pulled muscle in the back include:

Rest, but not for too long
Cold therapy applied for 15 to 20 minutes every four hours for the first few days
Compression with wraps
Keeping muscles elevated with your head propped up when resting
Gentle stretching
Gradual strengthening exercises
Prescription pain relievers
Massage or hydrotherapy
Light chiropractic manipulation
After inflammation is reduced, heat therapy
Reducing stress
Better posture techniques
Activity modification
Warming up before any physical activity
Being patient

Your New York City back pain specialist Dr. Melepura may recommend several of these therapies at once to encourage relaxed and healed back muscles. Following your doctor’s advice encourages the treatment for a pulled-back muscle to be successful. Dr. Melepura is among the best pulled-back muscle pain treatment doctors in NYC.

Prevention Is the Best Course

Anyone can overdo an exercise routine or other activity. But to avoid the need for later pulled lower back muscle treatment, follow these suggestions:

Find good core strengthening exercises.
Develop and adhere to proper posture.
Incorporate proper lifting techniques.
Continue healthy stretching and strengthening back exercises.

Your pain specialist in NYC helps determine which pulled lower back muscle treatment best heals your back pain. Moving forward, the prevention of future injury helps keep you healthy and pain-free.

Febin Melepura, MD is a top rated, best in class interventional pain management doctor. He is a nationally recognized pain relief specialist and is among the top pain care doctors in New York City and the country. He is an award winning expert and contributor to a prominent media outlets.

Dr. Febin Melepura has been recognized for his thoughtful, thorough, modern approach to treating chronic pain and, among other accolades, has been named a “top pain management doctor in New York”, and one of “America’s Top Doctors™” for an advanced sports injury treatments.