Threw my back out (muscle pain only). Move or rest? Heat or cold? (NAF!)

Moving lumber today I ended up with a nagging ache that an hour or so later turned into a sympathy-inducing, almost-paralyzing, who-am-I-kidding-I-couldn’t-lift-my-toddler pain. It’s symmetrical in the lower back and there is no sharp nerve pain, just teeth-clenching pain when I use core muscles without holding on for support (i.e. I can pick up a jug of milk if I hold on to the table, but picking up a cat with two hands is out of the question. Plus, a cat with hands instead of paws is icky).

I’m going to eat some Tylenol and hope that things are better by the morning. Knowing all the disclaimers and whatnot, is the conventional wisdom that I want to stretch and keep moving or relax and lay still? Does conventional wisdom hold that I should put a heat patch on it or ice? Anything I’m missing?

Painfully yours,

Rhythm

I have back pain currently - kind of different from yours. The only thing that’s helping me is aspirin and laying down. Pain killers, muscle relaxers, etc, all effectively useless to me.

First treatment for any muscle strain is ice. Reduces the swelling and encourages extra circulation(oxygen, nutrients) to the injury site.

When lying down, I always get good results with a pillow under the knees.

Ah, west and wewaxation at wong wast!

So ice and relaxing, not remaining active. Not that I want to do crunches, but post surgery advice (different type of injury) was to keep using (but not straining) the muscles. Hence my thought to ask.

I alternate heat and cold. This seems to help the muscle heal more quickly.

Once the initial trauma is past, gentle work is advisable. It brings extra oxygen and nutrients to the injury site, prevents stiffness and reminds the body it has healing to do.

For the future, core strengthening(abs, obliques, lower back) is needed as well as strict attention to posture and form while lifting.

Reduces swelling yes, but extra circulation: I don’t think so (that’s what heat does).

As lovely as heat feels on an injury, it can make the pain worse. Found that out the hard way when I enjoyed a soak in a hotel hot tub when my knees had been bothering me. Felt WONDERFUL… then I paid for it with several weeks of extra pain.

To the OP: consider using ibuprofen (Advil etc.) or other NSAID in addition to or instead of the Tylenol. I find that better for almost any kind of pain, and the anti-inflammatory effect will be helpful for you.

When you remove the ice, there’s extra circulation trying to re-warm the area.

Rest is good at first, but don’t overdue it. Once movement is more tolerable, you should begin doing as much as you can (nothing overly strenuous right away). One of the worst things for your back is to sit around/lay around and do nothing.

The long term advice above about exercises to strengthen your core and lower back is really good advice.

I had horrible back issues for years, and wound up having back surgery in 2008. After the recovery, I am religious about keeping my body in shape, stretching all the time, etc… I’m healthier and stronger now at almost 48 then I was at 25.

Look into Mckenzie stretches online.

Frank

I am not a doctor, but I do lift seriously and often have muscle aches and all. Here’s my advice.

  1. When it’s fresh or irritated, icing will help reduce or prevent swelling and help numb the pain. Go for about 20 minutes at a time, too much will be counter productive. Heat is good for increasing blood flow and helping it relax, but can increase swelling and pain if put on when it’s fresh or irritated.

  2. NSAIDs like ibuprofen help reduce swelling so are generally better pain killers for muscle injury. If the pain is too intense for that to handle it, that’s when I’d look at aspirin or tylenol.

  3. Rest vs. active, I think depends. In some cases, if you rest too much, the muscles can tighten up and cause more pain. In some cases, if you are too active, you can continue to irritate the injury and cause more pain, prolong the recovery, or even make it worse.

So, in the case of the OP, it sounds like it’s just over-exertion and not necessarily any real injury, so I would ice and rest for a day or so, but engage back in light activity quickly. If it is just over-exertion, your core ought to recovery pretty quickly, and it’s a sign that you need to improve your core strength and conditioning.

My understanding (and experience) is that whatever you do (short of getting in a bar fight) it will get better. It is possible that some treatments (ice, heat, drugs, stretching) will shorten or lengthen the healing process, but generally when you are done you will think “I did X and I got better. X rocks!”

So I suggest a bar fight.

I vote for movement. When I get sciatica/lumbago, I find that a gentle constitutional ramble eases the pain remarkably.