My Toronto Chiropractic Clinic –  North Toronto

What are Back Spasms?

back, spasmsBack Spasms involve muscles that have tightened so much that they are unable to relax. The muscles remain contracted involuntarily (against your will).

Back Spasms involve skeletal muscles (which are normally under voluntary control) and are the most common type. They can cause severe pain and demand one’s attention. In fact, anyone who has ever had Back Spasms knows it is hard to ignore and definitely brings a person into awareness of the present moment. In fact, back spasms are your body “screaming” for your immediate attention. We are wise to heed to its “voice”!

Onset and Symptoms of Back Spasms:

Sudden onset of back spasms in the low back is surprisingly common and approximately eight out of 10 adults will experience it at some point during their lives.

Back spasms in your back can be so painful that people often go to the emergency room for help. They can be exceedingly painful and often debilitating over the short-term.

Patients with back spasms present to the office with antalgic postures (bent forward of off to the side), have difficulty changing positions (getting up or down from a lying or seated position) and are visibly in acute pain and stress.

Muscles instinctively react when they or other tissues are injured. Back spasms are increased by inflammatory agents that irritate the nerves. People are usually very hesitant to be touched for fear that any movement they make will lead to severe, sharp and sometimes shooting pain.

Part of the stress is the anticipatory fear that severe pain may occur again at any moment. Another aspect of stress and frustration is when the back spasm seems to occur randomly, for no reason at all or following as simple a movement as bending forward to pick up a pen from the floor.

Although back spasms seem to occur “out of the blue”, when questioned, patients will often report that there were in fact warning signs of lesser degrees of strains that were ignored in the hopes that they were nothing to worry about.

It is Dr. Horowitz’s experience and that of other Doctors of Chiropractic that there is commonly an emotional upset or major life change that precedes some episodes of a back spasm.

Chiropractic Patients Learn from Past Experiences:

Patients of Dr. Horowitz know to make an appointment for Chiropractic care as soon as they are able, particularly if they have experienced back spasm previously. It is important to reduce the pain of back spasms and to treat the underlying cause(s) of a back spasm, in order to prevent future episodes.

When back spasm involves injury to a muscle itself, fortunately, they usually heal within days or weeks due to their good blood supply, which brings the necessary nutrients and proteins for healing to take place.

However, back spasms commonly recur when left untreated, particularly when a person has experienced one or more episodes before.

Chiropractic care accelerates healing and reduces prolonged suffering.

What is happening in a Muscle that is in Spasm?

The muscle may feel harder than normal to the touch and may show visible signs of twitching. Spasms may typically last from seconds to weeks and may ease and recur multiple times before going away on their own. Patients exhibit extreme apprehension in being touched in the area.

Back spasm occurs as a protective response when either spinal tissues or muscles are injured. A back spasm is the body’s attempt to immobilize the affected area in order to prevent further injury. Inflammation develops which can keep the cycle of spasm in place.

The pain and spasm slowly ease, sometimes within minutes, days or over weeks, leaving the muscles feeling sore and tender.

A milder form of muscle spasm is muscle twitching.

What Causes Back Spasms:

  1. Direct trauma
  2. A sudden fast and often awkward movement or a fall
  3. Lifting a heavy object improperly
  4. Overuse, fatigue or overstretching of a muscle or joint
  5. Working in tight spaces where prolonged bending or twisting is required
  6. Sports injuries like golf and football
  7. Ruptured, bulging or herniated disc
  8. Spinal facet joint sprain
  9. Early phases of Spinal Osteoarthritis
  10. Prior emotional upset or major life changes
  11. Poor posture
  12. Weak back extensor muscles
  13. Weak core abdominal muscles
  14. Muscle Imbalances
  15. Lack of regular physical exercise
  16. Excessive exercise with or without proper training
  17. Inappropriate types of exercises
  18. Dehydration and electrolyte loss

At My Toronto Chiropractor, our Chiropractic Treatments can help you heal your back spasms more quickly.

Call My Toronto Chiropractor Health Clinic at (647) 349-4909 for an appointment or ask Dr. Horowitz a question by submitting the form below:



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