Muscle Spasm in the Back
Like most back pain, when it happens, your body is trying to tell you something. When you get muscle spasms in your back, it's most likely that your body is trying to tell you to:
- Calm down
- Find a way to de-stress
- Talk a walk
- Stretch
And when minor changes in your activities don't stop the discomfort, back muscle spasms treatment by your Manhattan sports and pain doctor may be your next option. Treatments for muscle spasms in the back include:
- Anti-inflammatory medicine
- Hot and/or cold compresses
- Muscle relaxers
- Therapeutic exercises
Muscle Spasm in the Back NYC · SPIN Sports Pain Specialists
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What Are the Causes Of the Muscle Spasm?
When your muscles take over and start contracting on their own, that's when you feel the pain of a spasm. The skeletal muscles that you use to move, play sports, lift, carry, stand and even smile are supposed to be under your control. When you're healthy, the balance of electrolytes, glucose, and oxygen in your bloodstream produces sufficient energy for you to control those skeletal muscles with little or no thought.
A muscle spasm, also called a muscle cramp, usually hits you unexpectedly, and it can be uncomfortable or very painful. Spasms happen through no voluntary impulse of your own. A muscle spasm is not a muscle twitch, which is a tiny movement of muscle directly underneath your skin. Spasms occur for a variety of reasons, such as when:
- The muscles are overused
- You're feeling tired
- The muscle was previously damaged
- Muscles become overstretched
- You begin a new sport
- You become dehydrated and overheated
Signs and Symptoms That You Need Muscle Spasm Treatment
The pain usually is the leading factor that drives you to your sports doctor for muscle spasms treatment. You can sometimes feel the tight knotting up of the muscle where you experience the most pain. Often, just stopping what you're doing and taking a break resolves the issue.
To prevent further damage, see your physician as soon as possible to get a diagnosis and some treatment for muscle spasms. If your pain is a minor inconvenience, there's no rush to get medical attention, but make an appointment when the pain:
Is severe
Keeps returning
Lasts for a long time, more than a couple of hours
Your doctor needs to know when the pain started, how severe it gets, and when it happens. With that information, he can properly diagnose the source of your muscle spasms and begin back muscle spasms treatment, if the spasms are occurring in your back.
First Step in Muscle Spasm Treatment in Midtown Manhattan, NY
Your sports doctor may encourage you to try at-home muscle spasms treatment to begin with. Directions include:
- Take prescription muscle relaxers
- Apply icepacks at the onset of the pain
- Rest and reduce stress on your lower back by propping up your knees with a pillow
- Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication, such as ibuprofen
- Undertake walking sessions between periods of rest
- Add heat therapy with a heating pad
Give the home treatment for muscle spasms a serious trial for one or two weeks. If your pain hasn't gotten any better after that time, your Midtown doctor may suggest more aggressive muscle spasm treatment.
Next Step for NYC Back Muscle Spasms Treatment
When muscle spasms keep recurring or don't get better within a few weeks, it may be a sign that you have more serious medical problems than just poor posture or swinging your new golf club improperly. Muscle spasms can indicate the beginning of:
Degenerative disc disease
Facet joint osteoarthritis
Herniated disc
Spinal stenosis
The at-home remedies may help to relieve the pain from the muscle spasms temporarily, but you may need further treatment for muscle spasms to address any underlying spinal disorders. Treatments may consist of:
Prevent the Need for Muscle Spasms Treatment
No matter what kind of muscle spasm treatment you undergo, lifestyle alterations almost always are included. Once you've been relieved of the debilitating pain that muscle spasms can cause, you'll likely take your NYC pain and sports doctor's advice and make those changes too.
Back muscle spasms treatment prevention often includes:
- Longer warmups before you engage in your sports activity or work out
- More time spent learning a new sport
- Beginning a new sport at a slower pace
- Exercising regularly if you're not already
- Strengthening supporting muscles, especially those important core muscles in your abdomen that protect your back
- No more smoking so that your blood flow doesn't become restricted
- Staying hydrated at all times since your muscles begin to spasm when they're dehydrated
Another great way to prevent muscle spasms is daily stretching. Stretching even when you're not getting ready to do some form of exercise is beneficial. Incorporate stretching into your daily routine. Consider taking up an activity that supports limber muscles and flexibility, such as yoga or Pilates.
Ready to find relief from back muscle spasms?
Dr. Melepura's Midtown Manhattan clinic offers same-day appointments for evaluation and treatment.
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Dr. Febin Melepura, MD
Double Board-Certified Pain Specialist
Meet Dr. Febin Melepura: Your Back Muscle Spasm Specialist in NYC
Dr. Febin Melepura, MD is a double board-certified interventional pain management specialist and the founder of the Sports Pain Institute of New York. He completed his residency and fellowship training at New York Presbyterian Hospital / Columbia University Medical Center, one of the nation's leading academic medical centers.
He holds dual board certifications from the American Board of Anesthesiology and the American Board of Pain Medicine, and has treated more than 7,500 patients and performed over 5,250 procedures throughout his career. He has been named a Top Pain Management Doctor in New York and one of America's Top Doctors™ by Castle Connolly.
Dr. Melepura's approach to back muscle spasms is rooted in precision: identify the exact source, treat it with a targeted injection, and get you back to your daily life as quickly as possible.
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