Causes of Muscle Spasms

You can also experience a lower back spasm when you pick an object up incorrectly or stretch or strain your back muscles while exercising or even sitting. Anxiety, depression and stress can also cause your back muscles to tighten or contract. Believe it or not, some individuals have even suffered a back spasm caused by a mere cough or sneeze or while they were sound asleep. You may end up with lower back spasms even if you have never had any problems with muscle stiffness before.

Symptoms of Muscle Spasms

A muscle spasm in your back can last from a few seconds to hours. They can cause excruciating pain in the affected muscles, even though they are not life-threatening. If you suffer from painful muscle spasms, they may range from a mere annoyance for a few days or weeks to absolutely incapacitating for the rest of your life.

Treating Muscle Spasms

It is often hard to treat muscle spasms of the lower back because muscles can tighten or contract as a result of various diseases or injuries. Medication and physical therapy is often used to treat more severe cases. Applying heat to the area may also relieve some of the pain of muscle spasms, as well as prescription muscle relaxants such as flexeril or diazepam. Muscle spasms will normally subside within a few days or one or two weeks. However, it is an experience you will definitely not want to experience again.