Back Spasms Causes

A back spasm usually affects the lower back muscles rather than the middle to upper back muscles of the torso and are often the result of an injury or inflammation of the spinal area or the spine itself. It is also thought that the spasm is the body’s response to protect and immobilize the spine from further aggravation.

People with such conditions often have the temptation to lie on their back, but if you want to get relief, you must try to maintain an upright position. It is very important for you to understand that the spasms may last much longer if you lie still most of the times – it only intensifies the pain.

If you have experienced back spasms you know how painful they can be and how desperate you are for relief. There are many causes of muscle spasms. The most common ones include lifting a heavy object, a sudden jerk or sneeze and even dehydration. Of course when you are experiencing the pain you are less concerned with the causes as you are with stopping the pain. Below are the best treatments for back spasms.

The most common cause for spasm is any previous injury or a sudden movement wherein the muscle gets over-stretched and inflamed. Such strain in the muscle ultimately weakens them. Other factors can include excessive movements involving the back, straining physical activities, improper posture while sitting, sleeping or walking, jerky impact on the back or lifting heavy weights.

Some people are born with a tipped pelvis. This is a condition where the pelvis is tilted forward putting undo strain on muscles and nerves. When my wife was pregnant she found out that she had this condition and by doing some specific exercises was able to correct the tipped pelvis.

For some back pain sufferers their sleeping position only makes their pain worse and triggers those nightly spasms. Try sleeping in a fetal position, sleep on your side with knees bent and a pillow between the knees. I can personally vouch for this position as being very effective.

The body is one contiguous unit. It must be treated as such. If you chase the pain trying to get back pain relief, far too often you’ll come up empty. The pain you experience in a certain spinal area, say the lower back, may not be the primary area that’s injured. For instance, middle back pain causes muscle spasms, which can cause the lower back, or even neck and shoulders to overwork by compensating.

The lower back pain causes are often related to the sciatic nerve and can become painful for many reasons. If you have muscle spasms then they too can start to ache. Often starting by pressure on a nerve, the sciatica can go on for several weeks causing a great deal of hardship to the sufferer.

The chances are nine out of ten you’ll be told your spine is misaligned. ‘Misalignment’ is the specific term chiropractors use most often to describe back pain. ‘Sublimation’ is another, more impressive way of saying misalignment, but it means the same thing. ‘Twisted pelvis’ is another common way for chiropractors to describe a specific area of an improperly aligned spine.

Strains tend to occur when muscles are poorly conditioned and/or overworked. If, for example, you’re out of shape and spend an entire weekend raking leaves in the garden, stretching to get into hard-lo-reach places, twisting to load the trash bags, and the next day you feel as if you cannot move a muscle, chances are you have a strain.

This type of injury can generally happen if your work requires difficult postures such as bending, twisting or overextending your body. Diagnosing the cause of a lower lumbar injury is quite difficult and challenging because multiple structures in the lower back region can cause pain. If you do not feel comfortable with the diagnosis don’t hesitate to ask your doctor for a second opinion.

Back spasms can be caused by many problems including discs or repetitive motion. Learn how to treat back spasms in this physical therapy video.
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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What Causes Hip Pain Running?

Article by Dale Cudom

What Causes Hip Pain Running? – Health

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A lot of athletes and non-athletes have Hip pain running and do not know why. This can be a huge issue when you are trying to increase your mileage or even just break into the sport. This article will help you identify why you are experiencing pain running and what next steps you should take.

Reasons for Hip Pain Running

The Hip joint and surrounding body parts are extremely intricate pieces of human machinery, which is why they can be prone to injury. Although it is a relatively small area, both the Hip and Hip Flexor takes on a lot of stress, especially during running. The trickiest part when you have Hip pain running is to determine the pain causes.

Tightness

The first, and hopefully the cause of your pain running is that your Hip is simply tight. Usually this will be noticed in pain or discomfort mainly at the start of your run and just after. If you believe this is the case it is a relatively easy fix by performing some Hip stretches. In a few weeks of consistent stretching you should see a major pain reduction, if not dissolution completely.

Anterior Pain

The anterior part of your hip is the front portion, centered at the Hip joint. If you have anterior pain while running, the problem is usually because of the Hip joint or one of your hip flexors. The Hip joint could be developing arthritis if you are over 50, or most commonly you could have a Hip labral tear.

Lateral Pain

As many runners have experienced, the IT band can be an often source of frustration. Because of the length of the IT band, sometimes it can affect the Hip. Bursitis in either the Hip or the IT band can cause significant pain in the lateral region (side). The bursa inflammation can be triggered during movement which is why it is often a source of pain while running.

Posterior Pain

The final source of Hip pain is in the posterior region, commonly known as the backside. The pain here is usually related to gluteal pain, the most common affliction being Piriformis syndrome. Piriformis syndrome is closely related to sciatica and is usually felt in a constant aching pain that may flare up and feel almost like a muscle pull while running. To fix Piriformis syndrome perform the following stretch: Sit down with one leg bent, then place the foot of the other leg just in front of the knee of the bent leg. Once in this position use your arm to push forward the free knee until you feel a stretch in your gluteal/Hip region.

As always, if your injury seems severe and you feel lost on what to do about it, please go see a doctor. It is much easier for him/her to perform an MRI and find out once and for all what the injury is if you are just randomly guessing and trying things out.

How to prevent Pain Running

There are two main things that you can do to prevent Hip pain. The first of which is to improve your technique. The Hip in particular is very sensitive to discrepancies between legs, so if you are inconsistent with your technique it can often lead to pain.

The second way to prevent pain is to consistently perform hip strengthening. The stronger and more conditioned the surrounding muscles and tissues are, the less likely they are to get hurt from the high levels of stress during running.

Do not settle and accept pain running because it will hurt your performance, and more importantly your enjoyment.

About the Author

Dale Cudom is a high level soccer player and athlete for life. He is the owner of a complete source of hip flexor information that helps learn about their hip flexors. If you want more information on how to treat hip flexor pain, please visit the site to have your questions answered.

Use and distribution of this article is subject to our Publisher Guidelines
whereby the original author’s information and copyright must be included.

Dale Cudom

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Upper Back Pain Causes And Treatment

Article by Jack Woo

What is Upper Back Pain

Upper back pain is pain that is felt between the bottom of the neck and top of the lumbar spine. The upper back and neck section is a very complex part of our body because there are many joints and muscles working together.

While lower back pain affects our ability to walk and move about, upper backpain affects our ability to carry out simple daily activities like combing our hair orriding a bicycle.

Upper back pain is not as common as lower back pain, which is the most frequent excuse for absenteeism from work.This is because the upper back does not move as much as the spine in the lower back.

To understand how the upper back behaves, you need to have an idea of how it is structured in the spine.

Upper Back Structure

The anatomy of the upper body consists of the torso, arms and back. The torso which is basically the thoracic spine is made up of twelve vertebrae. The upper nine vertebrae are connected to corresponding ribs on both sides at every level and attaches to the breastbone in front. This forms the thoracic cage that provides structural protection for the internal organs of the heart, lungs and liver. This also offers space for the lungs to expand and contract but has limited motion in the spine. The lower three ribs do not join together at the front but still offer some protection to the vital organs, and allow slightly more motion in the spine. Viewing from the side, this part of the spine is a bit concave.

Since there is a lot of stability and little motion at the upper back (thoracic spine), there is less spinal disorder along this section of the spine.

The arms contain muscles such as the triceps brachii, biceps brachii and deltoid.The back contains muscles such as the rhomboids, rotator cuff and lattisimus dorsi.

Upper Back Pain Symptoms

This condition may last for a short duration, or it may last for more than three months, which is considered as chronic.The pain may be dull and throbbing, sharp and piercing, local or radiating. The pain may be constant, or only during certain activities, like lifting heavy things or after sitting for a long time. You may feel weakness and pain in your arms, and stiffness of your upper body.

This may occur in conjunction with other underlying medical conditions.

Symptoms include:

FeverHeadacheNeck painShoulder painStiffness of the backSwelling or redness of the backFatigueStressInsomniaAnxietyDepression

Some people suffering from back pain may also have other medical conditions with the following symptoms:

Chest PainAbdominal painJaw painBreathing difficultySweatingNausea

These symptoms may be life threatening and they should seek emergency treatment.

Causes

This condition can be caused by trauma, sudden injury, strain and poor posture over time. People who work long hours in front of computers or stretching their upper body at an awkward angle is prone to this problem. As their joints and muscles become exhausted their spines are misaligned creating imbalances. People who stretch and swing their upper body frequently during sport activities may also develop this pain. It can also be caused by more serious medical conditions, such as:

• fibromyalgia( a chronic pain in muscles and soft tissues surrounding the joints throughout the body, accompanied by fatigue) • spondylitis (infection or inflammation of the spinal joints)• spinal disc herniation (slipped disc)• Osteoporosis (metabolic bone disease)• Spinal stenosis (a narrowing of the spinal canal that presses on the spinal cord or nerves)

Risk Factors

If you belong to any of the categories listed below, then you are at risk of getting upper back pain:

Congenital (present at birth) Family history of back pain or spine diseaseObesityIncreasing agePoor postureSedentary lifestyleSmokingStress and anxiety

Prevention and Treatment

Most treatments for upper back pain are focused on relieving the pain and do not address the underlying cause, which is normally the spinal imbalances.Unless you address the muscle and joint imbalances, pain relief is only temporary.

It can be treated by one or a combination of the following:

• Ice and/or heat therapy • Deep massage or massage therapy• Joint manipulation, performed by chiropractors, physiotherapists, or osteopathic physicians• Acupuncture• Exercise/Active and passive physical therapy• Analgesics such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs• Short rest on bed

Unless the severity of your upper back pain warrants it, surgery should always be your last option.

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Lower Back and Neck Pain – A Look at Their Various Causes

Article by James Martin

Lower back and neck pain are certainly typical ailments and the hunt for alternative remedies has steadily grown since we discover the unwished-for results of prescription drugs, like acetaminophen. Natural herbs are one means you’ll be able to choose to assist in countering and alleviating neck and lower back pain.

As stated by the National Pain Foundation, some back and neck nuisance might possibly be induced by inside organs which aren’t even near the backbone or spine. In case you go through consistent or serious ache, get in touch with your doctor or a neurologist to help you locate exactly the reason for the trouble. And even if numerous pure substances obtained from plant sources are regarded as safe, several might have uncomfortable side effects on your body. When thinking about using natural herbs for lower back and neck pain, explore premier health websites to examine potential medicine interactions and precautionary measures.

Lower back pain can be brought forth by exerting too much pressure on the muscle tissues of the posterior part. This takes place when the muscle is torn or excessively elongated owing to straining physical work like lifting or abrupt motion. Quite often, the soreness is confined within a specific region. One more potential reason for lower back pain is actually a herniated disc.

The back comprises discs known as herniates. Herniates feature a tender, interior core which can at times get out due to harm. In case this occurs, force is exercised on the spinal nerve and causes nuisance and a tickling feeling that can be experienced up to the legs completely. Cracks or a late time of life can also have an effect upon the joints that bind the vertebrae in the back. When the vertebrae slide against one another, nerves can be squeezed tightly and cause lower backache.

Neck nuisance is a consequence of disorders with the nerves, connective tissues, muscles, bones, articulations or spinal column. The most widespread causes include physical damage or deterioration on any of these vital constituents, whilst more uncommon causes consist of tumors or contagions.

The most usual reason for neck ache is harm to the muscles and ligaments or connective tissues. Any hasty turning or jerking like that gone through in vehicle hits, sports injury or a collapse can cause nuisance.

Diseases characterized by inflammation such as degenerative joint disease and rheumatism can bear upon the neck by generating rheumatic bone spurs or joint wear and tear, which brings on more marked, continuing nuisance.

As individuals grow older, the discs located in the neck are vulnerable to deterioration, which can lead to disc degeneration. This places strain on the backbone and can bring forth unrelenting neck pain. Other more exceptional reasons for nuisance comprise tumors, contagions, inherited disorders and medical problems, for example myelopathy and stricture.