Relief from Sudden Severe Back Pain: What to do When Your Back "Goes Out"
Back pain can occur with something as simple as bending the wrong way, lifting a small object from the ground or even sneezing.
The first step is finding a position of temporary comfort. This often involves lying on your side or on your back with legs propped up on a cushion or several pillows. The application of ice is often helpful for relieving muscle spasm (10-20 minutes at a time as tolerated). During times of acute pain, one should avoid bending, twisting, lifting, and sitting. Sitting is especially aggravating in a soft or low chair.
You can, perform all activities that do not aggravate your symptoms or cause pain to radiate into the legs. If you are having trouble standing up straight, standing and walking may not be a good activity.
Physical therapy treatment for sudden onset episodes of back pain is highly effective. Basic spinal manipulation techniques, performed by a physical therapist, have been shown in many clinical studies to be as much as 95% effective. If you find yourself in a position where your back is "locked up" or sudden onset low back pain, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will make every effort to get you in to see a therapist without delay.
Michael D. Wah, PT, OCS
Mr. Wah has been a therapist in the Baltimore area for 29 years. He has been certified as an Orthopedic Specialist by the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties.
A clinical prediction rule for classifying patients with low back pain who demonstrate short-term improvement with spinal manipulation, - Flynn T, Fritz J, Whitman J, et al., Spine 2002;27(24):2835-43.
