Dr. Alok Roy

Lower back pain is a very common issue and can take place due to numerous reasons. However, one of its main causes is a ligament strain or back muscle strain. Microscopic tear or excessive stretching of ligaments can take place due to lifting very heavy objects, doing enormously strenuous task or due to a sudden twisted movement. These conditions are most likely to be experienced by individuals ranging between the ages of 30 and 60. Other causes of lower back pain include back injury, arthritis of back bone joints, infections in the lower back area, and in very rare cases, tumours. 

In case of acute back pain, these are a few important things that should be definitely kept in mind. 

1. It is absolutely essential to take rest for a couple of days and avoid any sort of stressful activity. Although back pain is self-limiting, if you take proper care, it can be cured in a few days. However, if proper rest is not taken, the situation may become worse. 
2. Using the belt, also known as lumbo sacral corset, is a good idea. This can actually be of enormous help to individuals who have been suffering from lower back pain for a long period of time. 
3. As already mentioned, one of the main causes of these kinds of mishaps is sudden jerky movements, twisted movements, heavy weight lifting etc. So, it is necessary to avoid such circumstances, or else, an acute back pain situation may arise due to slipping of one of the discs from the spinal cord. As much as you like long drives and bike rides, these are a strict no. Any prolonged sitting or standing activity needs to be avoided. It is important that the tear caused in the muscles due to what-so-ever reason heals properly and prolonged stay in a tensed muscle position would definitely not help the cause. 
4. Although these back pains can be handled at home by following the discussed steps, using simple analgesics or muscle relaxants prescribed by the doctor can be a way to speed up the process of recovering the strained ligament. 

Apart from these important steps, regular exercise to strengthen the core body muscles is a great way to avoid such ligament strains in the future. However, if you feel that even after following the precautionary measures, your problem doesn’t subside, visit an experienced doctor for his advice. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!