Currently, over 13% of adults in the United States suffer from chronic low back pain. That’s like saying nearly 1 in every 8 adults you meet struggles with this condition daily. This makes it a leading cause of disability in the country. It usually happens due to back spasms, which are involuntary muscle tightening, cramping, or strains that occur in any part of your back.
A back spasm could feel like a sudden tightening or contracting or a sharp and acute pain that affects movement in your body.
The good news is that it can be easily treated with medication, lifestyle changes, and other complementary therapies. Let’s learn more about back spasms, their symptoms, treatments, and other aspects below.
What Are Back Spasms and How They Occur?
Back spasms are prolonged muscle contractions that occur in the muscles of the back. They can range from mild and annoying to severe and incapacitating. The pain depends on the intensity and location of the muscle contraction.
The muscles involved feel stiff, tight, and tense, and the pain could be sharp or throbbing. Athletes, older adults, and individuals with sedentary jobs are most at risk of experiencing back spasms due to muscle strain, aging, or prolonged inactivity.
These spasms occur suddenly and can last for a few seconds or minutes, or even longer. When the spasms are severe, they can cause the muscles to freeze. This prevents you from moving freely or bending without pain. In severe cases, they can make your muscles “lock up”—like when you try to stand up, but your back won’t move.
The discomfort varies in intensity and duration, and it may worsen with certain movements or activities. While most back spasms are not emergencies, severe or persistent spasms, especially when accompanied by other symptoms, may signal a more serious condition that requires medical evaluation.
Read More: Rib Fracture (Broken Rib): What You Need to Know
Top Common Causes of Back Spasms
Several factors trigger or contribute to the onset of back spasms. Healthcare professionals who want to be first response heroes must try to find out the root cause to customize the right treatment and prevention strategies. Some of the common causes of back spasms are:
Muscle Strain or Overuse
Muscle strain or overuse occurs when the muscles and tendons that support the spine are overstretched, pulled, or torn. It is the result of common daily activities like lifting heavy objects, performing repetitive motions, or sudden twisting movements.
For example, assembly line work and repetitive housework like vacuuming or stocking shelves in a retail store involve repeated bending or twisting motions that could cause muscle strain.
Poor Posture
Slouching while sitting or standing, especially when working at a desk or computer, puts excess pressure on the spine and the muscles of the lower back. Over time, this poor posture can contribute to muscle imbalance and tension and make certain muscles more prone to spasms. The back muscles work harder to support the increased load, leading to fatigue and back spasms. You can try sitting with your back against a chair and feet flat on the ground to reduce strain.
Dehydration
Dehydration also causes muscle spasm in back. Your muscles need water and electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, to contract and relax normally. When you’re dehydrated, electrolyte imbalances occur, and muscle function is disrupted. It is recommended to drink at least 8 ounces of water daily to avoid dehydration.
Also, the small disks in the spine are filled with a gelatinous substance called nucleus pulposus, which consists of around 75% water. They act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae in the spine. When you don’t drink enough water, the disks become dry and brittle, thus making movement stiff and painful.
| Fun fact: Did you know that these spinal disks lose water slowly, and you could be up to half an inch shorter by the end of the day? When you sleep, the disks rehydrate so that you wake up to your full height the next morning. |
Stress And Tension
Emotional stress and tension affect your physical well-being, including your back muscles. It triggers the “fight or flight” emergency response of the sympathetic nervous system. This causes the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prepare the body for the supposed emergency, making the back muscles tense up.
Chronic stress aggravates the problem by causing muscle fatigue and stiffness, leading to recurrent spasms or persistent back pain. Also, when you’re stressed, your breathing patterns change, and your shoulders hunch up. This causes mid-back muscle tension and pain.
Herniated Disks Or Bulging Disks
Herniated disks (also known as ruptured, protruding, or bulging disks) occur when the soft tissue between the vertebrae (disks) slips out of place and presses on nearby nerves. This condition causes sharp, sudden back spasms, particularly in the lower back or the neck.
The herniated disk may also cause other symptoms, such as numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs, in certain cases.
Sciatica
Sciatica is a condition that often affects your lower back and down the legs. It happens when your sciatic nerve often becomes compressed or irritated. It leads to pain, tingling, numbness, and muscle spasms in your back and legs.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is the narrowing of the spaces within your spine, which puts pressure on the spinal cord and nerves. It can lead to muscle spasms, particularly in the lower back. In response, muscles in the back, particularly the lower back may tighten reflexively to stabilize the area, sometimes resulting in painful back spasms.
Spinal stenosis also causes the muscles around the spine to work harder in response to changes in posture or limited movement due to pain. This leads to fatigue and strain, increasing the likelihood of back spasms.
Scoliosis Or Abnormal Spinal Curvature
Scoliosis is a condition when the spine curves sideways, often developing during childhood or adolescence. This lateral spinal curvature places uneven pressure on the muscles and ligaments of the back. One side of the back works harder than the other to compensate for the unequal muscle loading. This increases the risk of muscle spasms.
Other forms of spinal misalignment, such as kyphosis (hunchback or roundback), lordosis (low back) which is an excessive curvature of the upper back, can also contribute to muscle strain and spasms.
Sedentary Lifestyle
Do you sit all day without stretching? That could be why your back hurts. A lack of physical activity or a sedentary lifestyle weakens the muscles in your back and increases the risk of back spasms when you attempt to move or bend.
Medical Conditions
Several medical conditions can trigger back spasms. These include:
- Chronic Conditions: Fibromyalgia, degenerative disk disease, and osteoarthritis can cause muscle stiffness and pain, leading to spasms.
- Neurological Issues: Multiple sclerosis and nerve damage affect the central nervous system, disrupting muscle control and increasing the risk of spasms.
- Spinal Disorders: Spondylolisthesis and ankylosing spondylitis can cause spinal instability and inflammation, resulting in muscle tightness.
- Kidney-Related Issues: Kidney stones may lead to referred pain and muscle contractions in the lower back.
Read More: Cardiovascular Disease: Types, Causes & Symptoms
What Are the Key Symptoms Of Back Spasms?
Knowing what causes muscle spasms helps you take measures to prevent it. However, you must also understand the symptoms of back spasms to distinguish them from other types of back pain.
So, if you’re asking yourself, “When should I be worried about back spasms?” here are the common symptoms to know about:
Sudden Onset Of Pain
One of the most common symptoms of back spasms is the sudden onset of pain. The spasm strikes without warning, and the pain can be intense. It usually occurs when the muscles in your back contract involuntarily, which causes a sharp, stabbing pain.
This pain can feel like a cramp, but it’s much more sudden and acute. In some cases, the spasm may also be accompanied by a sensation of “locking” or stiffness in the back, which makes it difficult for you to move. This sudden nature of the pain can be shocking and leaves the person momentarily unable to move.
Muscle Tightness And Stiffness
The affected muscles become tense and hard when a back spasm occurs. They may often feel unusually tight to the touch. This is because the muscle fibers are in a contracted state and cannot relax in such a situation. The stiffness can make it challenging to move the back freely because the muscles are “locked” in a state of tension.
Pain That Worsens With Movement
The pain from a back spasm intensifies when you attempt to move, bend, or twist your body. Since the muscles are already in a contracted state, any movement that needs them to stretch or engage further increases the pain. This makes performing everyday activities, such as walking, sitting down, or even getting out of bed, difficult.
Limited Mobility
Severe back spasms can significantly limit your ability to move. If the spasm is particularly intense or affects a large portion of your back muscles, it may temporarily freeze your back in place. This can prevent you from performing normal movements, such as bending, twisting, or standing upright. In more severe cases, you may feel unable to move at all, which is known as “muscle lock-up.”
Tingling Or Numbness
A back spasm may be associated with nerve compression or irritation in some cases. The nerves in the spine can become pinched when the muscles contract too forcefully or when a spinal issue like a herniated disk is present. This can lead to sensations such as tingling, numbness, or a “pins and needles” feeling.
If these symptoms persist, worsen, or are accompanied by weakness, loss of bladder or bowel control, or severe pain, they may indicate a more serious condition requiring immediate medical attention.
What Therapies Are Recommended to Treat Back Spasms?
Back spasms are extremely painful and do not go away easily. However, the good news is that several treatments can help ease the pain and prevent future spasms. The treatment approach will depend on the underlying cause and the severity of the spasms.
Rest, Cold Therapy, And Heat Therapy
First, you should rest and avoid activities that worsen the pain. Applying heat or cold to the affected area reduces inflammation and relieves muscle tension. In the initial 24-72 hours, apply ice packs (cold therapy) to reduce inflammation and numb the pain. After the initial inflammation has reduced, apply a heating pad or hot water bottle (heat therapy) to soothe the muscles and increase blood flow to the area.
When to Use Ice vs. Heat
| Cold Therapy (Ice) | Heat Therapy |
| First 1–3 days after injury | After initial swelling has reduced |
| Red, swollen, or inflamed area | Stiff or tight muscles |
| Sudden or sharp pain | Ongoing soreness or dull aches |
| Use for 15–20 minutes per session | Use for 15–20 minutes per session |
Stretching And Gentle Exercise
Gentle stretching exercises can help loosen tight muscles and improve flexibility, which may prevent future spasms. Back stretches and yoga poses alleviate tension in the back muscles.
You can try yogic poses, such as child’s pose (Balasana), cat-cow stretch (Marjaryasana-Bitilasana), downward-facing dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), pigeon pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana), spinal twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana), cobra pose (Bhujangasana), and bridge pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana) to relieve the pain due to back spasms.
However, it’s important to avoid aggressive movements or heavy lifting during the acute phase of a spasm.
Pain Relief Medication
Over-the-counter pain relief medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), naproxen (Aleve), or acetaminophen (Tylenol) can reduce pain and inflammation associated with back spasms.
For severe pain, a healthcare provider may prescribe stronger medications or muscle relaxants, such as cyclobenzaprine (Flexeril), methocarbamol (Robaxin), carisoprodol (Soma), tizanidine (Zanaflex), diazepam (Valium), and baclofen to overcome the discomfort and manage spasticity.
Physical Therapy
If back spasms are recurring or chronic, physical therapy may be recommended to help strengthen the muscles in the back and improve posture. A physical therapist can teach you exercises that improve flexibility, strengthen the core, and correct muscle imbalances that may contribute to spasms. They include gentle stretching of the lower back, piriformis, and hamstrings.
Low-impact aerobic exercises, such as swimming, cycling, or walking, also promote healing by increasing muscular endurance and blood flow to the back.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) provides relief by blocking pain signals and relaxing muscle spasms.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy relaxes tight muscles, improves flexibility, promotes the release of endorphins (the body’s natural painkillers and mood enhancers), and increases blood flow to the affected area. It also stimulates lymph flow, enhancing waste removal and reduces the excitability of the muscles by modulating the nervous system.
A licensed massage therapist can use techniques such as deep tissue massage, Swedish massage, sports massage, or trigger point therapy to help release tension and relieve pain from back spasms.
Ergonomic Adjustments
Using ergonomic furniture, such as adjustable chairs, helps you prevent strain on your back and reduce the risk of spasms.
Ensure that your workstation is set up to promote good posture. Avoid sitting for long periods without standing or stretching. Your computer screen should be at eye level, and your keyboard should be located such that your elbows are at a 90-degree angle. Standing desks can be useful to keep you frequently moving throughout the day, you can alternately sit and stand.
Hydration And Electrolyte Balance
Drink at least 2 liters of water per day (or more if you live in hot climates), and monitor the signs of dehydration, such as dark-colored urine, fatigue, dry mouth, and dizziness. After intense exercise or sweating, consume sports drinks because they contain electrolytes and can replace what gets lost via sweat.
Ensure you have adequate levels of electrolytes like potassium, calcium, and magnesium to prevent dehydration-related muscle spasms. Include electrolyte-rich foods in your diet, such as bananas, oranges, nuts, seeds, whole grains, sweet potatoes, dairy products, and leafy greens.
Finding Comfort: Learn More About Back Spasms
Back spasms are painful and interfere with daily life. While the causes vary, understanding the factors that contribute to back spasms can help you take the key steps to prevent them.
Treatment options often range from simple home remedies to professional medical interventions. It usually depends on the severity and frequency of the spasms.
If you’re an aspiring healthcare professional, consider studying more about back spasms, their symptoms, and treatments with a healthcare CPR AED course.
FAQs
- How to get rid of spasms in the back?
You may use heat packs, ice packs, or over-the-counter medications to get rid of back spasms. Avoid all activities that worsen the pain. Consider physical therapy or massage therapy for chronic or severe back spasms that cannot be healed quickly. Consult with a healthcare provider for a more personalized treatment plan.
- What is the root cause of back spasms?
Not using your muscles enough may cause further strain, which leads to back spasms. Moreover, if you sit too much or have a poor posture, you will be prone to having spasms. Other factors leading to these muscle spasms in the back include dehydration, stress, herniated disks, and other underlying medical conditions. Seek assistance from your healthcare provider to determine the primary cause of your pain.
- What drinks help back spasms?
You must drink plenty of water (at least 2 liters per day) to keep your muscles hydrated and prevent back spasms. You can also consume electrolytes like coconut water and sports drinks. They are rich in minerals like sodium, magnesium, and potassium that control muscle contractions in your body.
- What disease starts with muscle spasms?
Multiple muscle spasms may indicate an electrolyte imbalance or a serious underlying medical condition like atherosclerosis, a condition where plaque builds up in the arteries. It could also be thyroid disease or multiple sclerosis (MS), which causes a breakdown of the protective covering of nerves. If you develop such cramps, consult an experienced healthcare professional immediately for further assistance.
