My back just locked up, what do I do?!
Ok to start with, lay down. If your back has just gone into spasm this is probably the most comfortable position for you. If that hasn’t happened, lay down anyway, it’s nice!
Take a few deep breaths … ok,
When your back locks up into a muscle spasm it is super scary! Unless you’re used to it, then it’s bloody frustrating! BUT, as scary and painful as it is, most of the time you haven’t injured anything; nothing is broken, nothing is torn or bulged (phew!). Your muscles are all tensed so tightly, that you can’t move and everything just hurts! It’s your brain’s way of protecting you from overdoing it (and it’s pretty effective!).
So, what to do? Your muscles will like the following:
heat: try a hot shower or bath (if you can), if you’re not very mobile yet a heat pack will be nice.
gentle movement, start small and slow. Even move areas away from the tension and work your way closer. There is no need to force this.
pain killers can be helpful to get you through the very acute phase (your GP or pharmacist can help you here)
Once you’re through the initial acute phase (well done!), it’s time to listen to the warning, you need some recovery time. The key things to think about are sleep, stress, exercise, and nutrition. Usually, our body can cope with one of these things falling down, but if two, three, or four starts to get out of control, that’s when we end up in trouble. If you need help looking after these things feel free to reach out to us (your GP would also be able to help you here). A lot of these episodes will calm down on their own if you heed your body’s warning. However, physiotherapy can help to speed up your recovery, plus we can help you understand how to reduce the chance of it happening again.
What if I have injured something you ask? Even if you have injured something, it will heal, however in this case you may have a slower recovery. If your spasm hasn’t settled down within a week I would definitely recommend having an assessment with a physiotherapist so they can help you with your recovery.
If your back gives you trouble, give us a call.