How to Quickly Relieve Back Muscle Spasms (at Home)

Back muscle spasms can be a debilitating and painful condition for many people.

These sudden and intense muscle contractions or cramps can also cause stiffness and disrupt your sleep. In some cases, the pain may even radiate to other parts of the body such as the legs or arms.

If you are suffering from back muscle spasms, and you want to know how to make them stop without medication – you’ve come to the right place.

Your back is telling you something:

Either it’s telling you to stop a certain activity, or it’s “hinting” that there’s an underlying injury, such as a herniated disc, bulging disc, or degenerative disc disease.

The good news is:

In this post, you’ll find the fastest natural home treatment for muscle spasms, a great stretch that works in minutes, and 3 more natural ways to prevent the next attack on your normal daily life.

This post may contain affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.

How Long Can a Back Muscle Spasm Last?

A back muscle spasm can last from seconds to hours and days, depending on the cause and the treatment you’ve chosen.

In general, muscle cramps can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours, and they may recur multiple times throughout the day or night.

If the cramp is treated quickly and effectively it may last less than if left untreated.

For example, bed rest may feel like the right thing to do, but it may not be the right thing to do (unless you can’t move altogether). because bed rest can actually make your muscle spasm last longer.

Moderate movement may be optimal to increase healing and reduce inflammation in your lower back.

How to know if it’s a muscle spasm?

The pain stays only in the relevant area (doesn’t radiate to your legs, for instance) and is sore to the touch.

What Causes Back Muscle Spasms?

 If you spend most of the day sitting behind a desk, for instance, regularly maintaining a bad posture, a muscle spasm can surprise you while doing something as simple as lifting a book.

(See the best ways to prevent low back pain from sitting)

It can “catch you” when you are trying to perfect a new yoga position or while jogging or working out at the gym.

Lifting heavy objects or supporting heavy objects with your back are also common causes.

A few more common causes are overexerting muscles while exercising, a sudden movement, or a fall.

The Quickest Way to Relieve a Muscle Cramp (Naturally)

Through my research and personal experience, here’s the quickest natural way to stop your back muscle strain:

Epsom salts, also known as magnesium sulfate, can be absorbed through the skin when dissolved in warm water. Magnesium is a mineral that can help relax muscles and reduce inflammation.

The warmth of the bath can also help to relax muscles and improve circulation, which can further ease muscle tension and pain.

Nest Step – Rub Magnesium Oil on the pain area.

Why? Because when your back muscles go into spasm, the fastest way to relieve the pain is to simply relax them.

And Magnesium is the best natural muscle relaxant on the planet.

Magnesium oil is the best way to absorb Magnesium quickly, and definitely much faster than ingesting it.

It is absorbed through your skin fast and pulls excess fluids out of your tissues while reducing inflammation and relaxing your muscles.

All you have to do is rub some of it on your painful area (after a 20-minute hot bath with Epsom salt) and wait a few minutes.  You’ll be amazed.

Next Step – A Short Rest

Once you are done with the hot bath and the Magnesium oil, hop into bed for at least an hour or two.

Various studies have found that too much bed rest (more than 2 days) will worsen your condition.

When you rest, do not attempt to use the injured muscle in any way.

The Best Stretch for a Low Back Muscle Spasm

First, you have to listen to what your body is trying to tell you.

The muscle spasm in your back tells you that something is wrong. The pain should not be ignored and never attempt to “push through” the pain, it will only cause more damage.

If you are very physically active, or alternatively not active enough, daily lower back stretches are critical to preventing the next muscle cramp.

However, avoid these exercises, which can make your pain worse.

The video below shows a few good stretches you can do to get “unlocked” when you back spasms, just to get moving again, they are very good:

How to Prevent the Next Back Muscle Spasm

This advice only refers to the time between muscle spasms, to prevent the next one.

1. Reduce Inflammation

When a muscle is torn or overstretched, your body sends Prostaglandins to the injured muscle to cause inflammation. It’s your body’s way of stopping you from using the muscle further.

Now it can send the healing components to fix the damaged cells.

The first line of these healing agents is called proteolytic enzymes (discovered by Dr. Wolf in 1972). Maybe you have heard of enzyme therapy as a natural treatment for inflammation.

See more of the best home treatments for lower back inflammation

2. Heat Therapy

The best way to speed up the healing process is by helping the body deliver the healing components better and faster.

In other words, speed up your blood circulation. This is what heat therapy does.

But:

Instead of using the plain old heating pad, supercharge the heat with infrared rays.

Infrared rays penetrate deep into your skin and all the way to your muscle tissues, nerves, and bones.

In my experience, it’s the best drug-free pain-relieving method ever, and it’s completely safe.

I have this infrared heating pad, which covers my entire back (and can be folded to use on aching joints too).

3. Re-Balance Your Back Muscles

If you really want to get lasting relief for your lower back muscle spasms and cramps, consider addressing the root cause of your lower back pain.

Except for trauma, muscle imbalances are the reason for most types of back pain. Click the link to find out more about muscle balance therapy!

To your health and happiness,

Meital