What is back strain?
A muscle strain is overstretched or torn muscle. Back strain is the most common cause of back pain, specially lower back pain. Muscle strain is usually causes overuse or overloads a muscle. These are the typical conditions for injury. Injury and inflammation are binary, which is part of the healing process. Inflammation causes pain and can prompt muscle spasms. The severity of a muscle strain ranges from mild to severe.
Causes of back strain
- Back strain may be overload
Strained back muscles is overloaded of the back – like when lifting something overly heavy. Weak muscles are more easily overloaded and injured than strong muscles but any muscle can be overloaded.
Poor lifting techniques as well as lifting objects that are heavy can overload the back and impel aggravation. Pulled back muscles may also be caused by falling down or an unexpected twisting of the back.
Though pain is usually caused by overstretching or tearing of back muscles, sometimes an irritated spinal joint provokes muscle spasms around the joint.
- Back strain may be overuse
Overusing the same muscles from repetitive motion or simply holding a static position for long duration can strain muscle.
Overuse injuries may occur quickly or may be weeks or months to onslaught
Chronic overuse injuries (also called repetitive stress injuries), which may take weeks or months to develop are often the same muscles being used for long periods of time, even though the demand on the muscles is low. Back and neck pain occur from prolonged fixed positioning. The body is accustomed to continual activity. When fixated exorbitantly, muscles fatigue and strain. Switching positions shifts workload to another muscle group, preventing one muscle group from excess stress. Poor posture also prompts the muscles to work harder to support the spine, that leads to fatigue, strain, and back pain.
Break frequently from sitting. Stand up, walk, and stretch tight muscles in the back and the neck.
Overuse injuries may also occur quickly. Activities involving repetitive movements like raking the yard, shoveling the driveway, and doing inordinate amount of exercise can cause this type of overuse injury. Holding muscles in a fixed position – specially with high level of muscle activation for long duration can also exacerbate muscle strain.
Overuse injuries usually heal quickly as long as the body is sufficiently rested, when the body is not given a chance to heal before the activity is repeated, chronic problems happen.
Back sprain
A back sprain is a ligament injury. The severity of a sprain ranges from mild to severe.
Sudden movements (as in a fall or car accident) can cause injury to the ligaments, because the muscles don’t react (contract) adequately and keep the spine within its normal range-of-motion (ROM), causing ligaments to stretch or tear.
Acute pain can result from a back sprain. The pain may also gradually worsen over a couple of days as inflammation develops.
Symptoms of minor back sprains (slight tearing or overstretching of a ligament) cause minor back pain and swelling with minimal or no bruising. Moderate back sprains cause moderate back pain and swelling with bruising. Severe back sprains cause severe back pain, swelling and bruising and make mobility nearly impossible. Like back strain, back sprains may impel back muscle spasms.
Healing time depends on the severity of the sprain. Most back sprains heal in six to eight weeks but it can be several months for a complete recovery from a severe back sprain. Ligaments take longer to heal than muscles.
