Has your back ever been in spasm from one wrong move?
What did you do about it?
I often have clients book in: “ I threw out my back on Tuesday but I booked in a few days later and now the pain is gone”. And the question I always get is: What can I do in the moment when that happens?
Yesterday my back went into spasm when I bent over to open the oven. This NEVER happens to me, but it made me think of all my clients that this has happened to over the years and what advice I would give them (that I now need to implement on myself). Now that I am writing this out I realize probably putting together ikea furniture the day prior probably triggered this.
There are many different causes of back pain, but if you find that your back is in spasm (muscles feel really tight), putting a heat pack on will be your best bet for instant relief. I would also pair this with drinking lots of water and doing some light stretching such as a hamstring stretch, hip flexor stretch and/or a glute stretch.
You don’t want to recreate the sharp pain, so for instance if it hurts when you bend forward, avoid bending forward! Get yourself into a comfortable position, which may include laying with some pillows under your knees and a heat pack on your back. I wouldn’t leave the heat on for longer then 20 minutes, but you can do this intermittently throughout the day.
I would still recommend booking a treatment even if you can’t get in for a few days. Sometimes there is some residual muscle spasm that hangs around that can be worked through, even though your pain may be gone. I will also cue you with some activation exercises such as the core and glutes to help support the back and prevent this from happening again!
As for me, that is what I did! Heat pack, gentle stretching and some water! Your BACK will thank you, and today I am feeling completely pain-free.
