Low Back Muscle Spasm

What Is Low Back Muscle Spasm?

One presentation of low back pain is muscle spasm. This can accompany a low back strain or many other lumbar spine diagnoses. Low back muscle spasm presents as sudden, severe pain in part of the low back with decreased ability to move it for a time. For example, you are in a bent position and you cannot straighten up. That muscle is hard/tight to the touch compared to the other back muscles. It may appear swollen; for example, the right side of your low back looks bigger than the left. This can be present for a few minutes-hours and can come repeatedly over a number of days to several months, depending on your activities, movements and postures.

How To Treat Low Back Muscle Spasm:

It usually requires you to change positions, and the severity decreases if you find a relieving position such as lying on your side or getting onto hands and knees. Any new injury needs to be treated with ice for at least 2-3 days to minimize swelling and inflammation. Muscle spasm can be decreased with the use of heat to relax the muscle. If there is not significant swelling or internal inflammation, you can use heat to treat the pain associated with muscle spasms.

Medical Treatments for Low Back Muscle Spasm:

For this diagnosis, you will likely be prescribed muscle relaxers, anti-inflammatory medicine and/or pain relievers. Certain movements, positions or activities may need to be limited to prevent the spasm from returning (for example walking less, decreasing housework, or not playing your sport for a time). Other treatment options are Physical Therapy, chiropractic care, massage, and acupuncture.

How To Prevent Low Back Muscle Spasm:

If you prevent all other forms of low back pain, you will prevent low back muscle spasms. This means:

1. Practice good postures.

2. Practice good ergonomics and body mechanics.

3. Exercise regularly for your overall spine health.

4. Avoid a sedentary lifestyle because all tissues, including your spine, thrive on movement.

5. Do back extension exercises (moving spine in backward direction).

Right Way To Load Dishwasher FUNNY

Why should you take better care of your body?

1. It is the only body God gave you.
2. Your body will thank you when you are older.
3. Taking care of it now will make your life easier down the road.
4. It's just like your favorite car: take care of it, and it will run longer.
5. You will feel great and look great!
6. To set a good example for your children and those who look up to you.
7. To decrease your aches and pains and prevent them from coming back.
8. To reach your maximum physical potential! You don't know how much your body is capable of (running a marathon, losing 50 pounds, returning to your favorite sport)!
9. To improve your sleep, decrease your stress, and boost your energy levels.
10. To keep you out of the doctor's office and doing the activities you love.
11. Because you want to know your grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
12. No one else will or can do it for you.
13. To save you money! Unhealthy living ends up being terribly expensive over a lifetime.


"Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God." -2 Corinthians 7:1 (NIV)

Healthier Valentine's date ideas

1. Walk around downtown, the park, the beach or a lake.

2. Play your favorite sport together.

3. Visit your favorite museum that you have not frequented in years.

4. Dine out for sushi.

5. Eat a salmon filet at your favorite seafood restaurant.

6. For those farther north: Build a snowman together and have a snowball fight.

7. Swim or jog together.

8. Go camping, hiking or skiing.

9. Enjoy an evening of skating or bowling.

10. Try a healthy appetizer at a few different restaurants on the same block.

11. Dipped strawberries instead of a box of chocolate.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Health/Fitness Review: Gold's Gym

My review of Gold's Gym (Village at Sandhill in Columbia, SC)

The facility is a good size, with 3 main workout areas. The largest one has around 15 treadmills, 15 elliptical machines, 8 stationary bikes, 3 stair climbers, 1 upper body bike and a lot of machine weights. 

The second area has around 8 treadmills, 8 elliptical machines, machine weights, small dumbbells (2-15 lbs), exercise balls, medicine balls and mats.

The third area has all the free weights plus some machine weights. Very few women exercise in that area of the gym. Next to the free weights area is a basketball court.

There is a 3-lane pool, which is a comfortable temperature for swimming laps or doing water aerobics. When the water classes are in session, there is only 1 lane for lap swimming.

There is 1 large room for classes, including Zumba, body pump, aerobics, yoga, etc. The Zumba class (at least in the evenings) is always jam-packed! Classes are offered various times of the day and appear to be sufficient for the demand.

Another workout space is the cinema room, which plays movies and stays very dark. So bring your flashlight so you can see the buttons to start the treadmills. This room includes around 5 treadmills, 5 ellipticals and 5 recumbent bikes.

There is a small spinning room, which I have not yet used. It does not appear to get over-filled though.

For the more athletic type, there are 2 raquetball courts, which stay booked every evening and frequently at lunchtimes also. They can be booked ahead, if you call first! Good luck beating the veterans to the calendar!

The non-exercise areas include tanning, water massage table, whirlpool, steam room, sauna room, locker rooms, and the huge Kids Care room. I have been 100% pleased with the childcare providers there! The childcare hours are reasonable.

The staff are friendly and helpful. And there is a large staff of personal trainers available for an added cost.

The location of the gym is good, with easy access from Two Notch Rd, Clemson Rd or North Springs Rd. It is located in the Village at Sandhill mall, which makes it close to shopping and eating venues.

So...do I recommend Gold's Gym? Yes! The membership price is comparable to the other gyms and if you pay up-front for 1-2 year memberships you get quite a good rate. The price may even be lower than other gyms, depending on which specials you catch.

Is there a down side? Yes. The gym is very full in the early evening hours, making it difficult to find your cardio machine of choice. But that is expected, and you can always vary your workout by using a different machine until a treadmill opens up.

10 most convenient ways to exercise

1. Go for a walk in your neighborhood. Take your dogs. Take your kids. Walk to the park instead of driving. Walk 10 blocks instead of taking the subway or taxi. Look for an excuse to get out of the house!

2. Walk around the block on your lunch break. If you have an hour for lunch, use 30 minutes for exercise! If you have a desk job, be intentional about moving around during lunchtime and other breaks.

3. Ride a stationary bike while watching TV. If you have little time or ability to exercise outside of the home, consider buying a stationary bike, which is cheaper than a 6-month gym membership.

4. Take the stairs (every time)! Make it your routine, whether 1 flight or 5.


5. Go window shopping. Walk around town or the mall. And next time you are tempted to shop online, spend the time actually going to the store.

6. Go to the gym on your way to or from work. Be sure to choose one that is on your route. Or take advantage of the gym at work. If you are on a time budget, just work out for 30 minutes.

7. Play chase with your children or pets. This is an easy way to get your heart rate up quickly. And your babies will love you for it.

8. Do housework or yardwork. Try to work for 30-60 straight minutes. And use good body mechanics by squatting frequently.


9. Do jumping jacks, push-ups and crunches at home. Or use an exercise DVD. This is an ideal option for young moms during naptime!

10. Stand up while using your laptop or phone. Standing burns more calories than sitting. And it is a better position for your back!

Top 7 reasons why sitting causes back pain

1. Most people sit with slouched posture, which puts your low back in a rounded or flexed position for hours each day. Our backs were not made to stay in one position all the time. This can cause future problems in the spine such as arthrits, herniated disks, and sciatica.

2. People who sit at work typically sit for too long without changing positions. If your job involves sitting all day, standing up, stretching or walking around briefly every 30-60 minutes will help.

3. Very few people sit with lumbar support, which helps to align the low back. Good posture starts with the pelvis. Tilt your pelvis forward so that less of your buttocks are supported on the chair. That way the bottom of your pelvis is supporting your trunk and you increase the arch in your low back. Once you have that position, use a lumbar roll/pillow to maintain it.

4. A slumped low back leads to a rounded mid back with shoulders rounded forward and the neck to be excessively forward. This can lead to progressive neck problems and even shoulder pain (especially with lifting overhead).

5. Aside from sitting at work, we tend to have a sedentary lifestyle, with many leisure activities done also in the sitting position. With present technology, we can do almost everything from the convenience of our homes. While it is convenient to buy clothes and even stamps at home, it is taking a toll on our backs. Having a sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity, which carries multiple health risks.

6. We do very few activities with our spines extended backward, which is an important position to achieve regularly for optimal back health. If you do not regularly lean backward (increasing the arch in your low back), then start doing so several times daily. It can be done sitting or standing. Another way to arch backward is to lie on your tummy and prop up on your forearms.

7. Slumped sitting posture puts the back muscles (and other back tissues) in a lengthened or stretched position while also causing the muscles and tissues on the front of the hip, abdomen and chest to be in a shortened position. This imbalance can cause further posture problems, weakness and instability with greater risk for back pain and injury.

How To Improve SEDENTARY LIFESTYLE

Do you ever get annoyed when you are relaxing and you get interrupted? Picture this: you work all day, go to the gym, eat supper, get your children into bed, take a shower, and finally at 10 pm you are ready to relax (or just sleep). The moment you sit down to watch House Hunters, your dog starts scratching the back door. So you grudgingly get off your comfy sofa to let him out. You don't know how long he will be wandering around the backyard, so you go back to the couch and get cozy in the new, fuzzy throw you got for Christmas. After 1 minute, the dog is at the door again, scratching to get back inside since it is freezing out there! So you get up again and tell the dog how annoying he is and how he acts like a child.

So the next time you get interrupted, at least there are some benefits:

1. Burning calories.
2. Stretching out your back.
3. The excuse you needed to run to the bathroom.
4. The opportunity to get a glass of... WATER!
5. A few more steps on your pedometer for the day.
6. The chance to move, since you sat on your behind all day.
7. A friendly reminder that you are addicted to House Hunters and American Idol and ...
8. With DVR, now it's not so bad to get interrupted.
9. A chance to pet your sweet but annoying puppy.

The common sense DIET

1. Eat smaller portions. You may be surprised at how little food can fill you up and hold you over until the next meal. Learn to listen to your body to tell you when to eat and when to stop eating.
2. Keep yourself busy. That gives you less time to sit down and munch on junk food. Fill your free time with productive tasks, activities and hobbies. I know that if I am alone for very long and turn on the TV, I then start and continue munching indefinitely.
3. Eat slowly. My husband is naturally good and this, and he usually ends up eating much less volume than the rest of us who eat fast.
4. Replace juice with fresh fruit. 100% juice is ok, but the best choice is the fruit itself. It is packed full of nutrition and fiber!
5. To eat your 5 servings of fruits/vegetables each day, plan them into your meals/snacks. For example, have 1 serving with breakfast, 1 for a morning snack, 2 servings with lunch, 1 with supper and 1 for an evening snack.
6. Cut out soda (even diet soda). Replace it with water!!!

SAMPLE MENU
Breakfast: cereal, skim milk, 1 large banana (counts as 2 fruit servings)
Snack: yogurt
Lunch: Turkey on whole wheat with tomato/lettuce/cucumber
Snack: apple
Supper: grilled chicken, whole wheat pasta with sauteed vegetables and marinara sauce
Snack: almonds

BALANCE for Pain Prevention

Balance exercise helps to strengthen your legs and core, which helps to decrease your risk for joint pain and injuries. So here is one way I add balance exercise to my usual routine.

First, pick a standing activity that takes you at least one-two minutes (for me, it is blow-drying my hair, which takes much longer). Next time you do that activity, do so by standing on one leg. See if you can hold that position for at least 30 seconds before you switch legs. If you do not have good balance, be sure to stand close to a table or counter so you can catch yourself. Be careful not to fall. If you lose your balance, you can always touch your other foot down and then start again.

Once you are good at balancing on one leg and can do so for 30-60 seconds easily, here is the next step. Stand on your left leg and slowly kick your right leg straight out to the side. Kick slowly (about 1-2 seconds up and 1-2 seconds back down). Do not kick very high (about 2 feet). Repeat at least 10x on each side (try to not use arm support if you can do so safely). This exercise is great for improving balance and hip muscle strength!

How to PREVENT PAIN when relaxing

If you are like my husband, you like to sit back and chill when you get the chance. Of course, with two babies, he doesn't get that chance very often... (I am the opposite; when the kids are asleep, I start cooking, cleaning and blogging).

So while you are watching your favorite team or holiday movie, here are some tips for future PAIN PREVENTION.

1. What position are you sitting in when you watch TV? Instead of slumping, try sitting up with a small pillow behind your low back. Or lie on your side for awhile. Or lie on your tummy on the floor.
2. What are you snacking on? If you start bad eating habits when you are younger (when your metabolism is higher), they are hard to break later in life (when your metabolism slows).
3. Make a healthy eating rule for yourself. No junk food until you have had 5 servings of fruits or vegetables that day. So at 10 pm if you want to snack, you may need 3 cups of berries.
4. What are you drinking? Make a healthy drinking rule. No calorie-filled drinks until you have had 6-8 glasses of water that day.
5. Enjoy your relaxation time, but try to add more activity. Exercise is a great form of stress relief! And it helps you to sleep better.

A case for PAIN PREVENTION

Why prevent pain? Why do you need to take the time to think about how to prevent pain? You are busy, and you have important things on your to-do list.

First, now is the time to think about pain. Think about it before it happens. If you think through every movement and every activity, you can prevent accidents, injuries and therefore prevent pain. You can prevent pain now, which will also prevent pain later in life. If you injure your knee playing soccer at age 20, you may end up with arthritis in that knee when you are 40. If you practice poor posture now, you will end up with back or neck pain in the future. If you are sedentary now, you may not be able to walk later.

Many accidents can truly be avoided. Have you ever been in a car accident? Think back to that day and how it all happened. Were you at fault? If so, is there something you could have done differently? Were you driving too fast or talking on the phone or trying to quiet the screaming kids in the back seat?

Think of the last time you hurt yourself. How did it happen? If you could rewind time, could you have done anything to prevent the pain? I propose that most injuries are preventable because I have worked with so many patients with preventable injuries over the years. So before you become my next patient, think ahead and practice pain prevention today!

Why PREVENT PAIN when you are YOUNG?

1. So that you do not have to get your knees replaced later in life. That is no fun--I promise!
2. To avoid having a rotator cuff repair. That and knee replacement are fighting for the title: most difficult surgery to recover from.
3. To be able to stand upright when you are 80. A lifetime of poor posture leads to losing the proper curves of your spine.
4. To live a longer and healthier life!
5. To be happier both now and in your future!
6. Because you hate pain.
7. To avoid chronic back pain when you are older.
8. Because it is easier to prevent it now than to treat it later in life.
9. To avoid becoming friends with your Physical Therapist. :)
10. To save money! Pain is expensive!

Major Preventable Injuries

You hear about injuries and accidents every day. But are they truly accidents? Which ones could be prevented?

1. Burns
2. Falls
3. Diving accidents (esp. diving into shallow water)
4. Alcohol-related accidents
5. Unsafe driving
6. Rotator cuff tears
7. Back strains

Safety and injury prevention is your individual responsibility. If you truly want to live with minimal physical pain, you must practice safety at all times. This is true whether you are at home, at work, in the car or at the mall. Do not expect your employer to make your work environment or work station safe. Your manager will not be the one experiencing your pain if you get hurt at work. Do whatever it takes to keep yourself safe from these types of injuries. I do not want you to end up being my next P.T. patient, and trust me--you do not want that either.

Why think like a PT?

Welcome to Think like a P.T. (Physical Therapist)! I am a Physical Therapist, and my career passion is to teach you how to prevent pain! I hate pain, and most all of us do. So why not prevent pain before it starts?!! I have learned that prevention is easier than treatment of pain. It may take a little time and effort, but it is worth the cost. Think of it as an investment in your body! It is the only body you have, so take care of it in order to prevent pain, both now and especially down the road (when you are older...).

Maybe you have pain already, in which case you need some treatment (maybe PT). But hopefully you are reading this before you experience major pain or an injury. My goal in this blog is to help you learn how to think differently. Think like I do, as a PT. My PT hat is always on, so I look at the world from that perspective. I look at how people walk and try to figure out what is wrong with them. I look at how everyone lifts things. I look at how people exercise and see their risks for injury.

If you are passionate about your career, you probably look at the world from that perspective (a dentist looks at the teeth of everyone he meets--not just in the clinic). So tune in for my tips on pain and injury prevention. Your body will thank you.

Do you have any pain or injury topics that I can address? I would love to cater my blog to your needs and requests.