A pulled back muscle seems fairly common, and low-level strains and sprains happen frequently. But if you suffer a severe injury to your back, you need to get it checked out quickly. Without proper care, a pulled muscle in your back can get worse, to the point that you neconed surgery to repair it. Don’t let that happen! Visit Pain Management NYC to get the best care in a comfortable environment from nationally recognized pain doctors.
A pulled back muscle actually refers to a muscle strain. Strains affect either muscles or the tendons that are connected to a bone. The two common most circumstances in which muscle strains tend to occur include:
- Stretching your back muscle beyond its limits
- Forcing your muscle to contract more than it’s used to
In either case, you’re left with back pain. Back muscle strains vary in severity. A minor strain involves stretching or tearing a small number of muscle fibers. In more severe cases, a complete muscle tear may occur, making it difficult to move or function without significant pain.
The Grading Curve
The pain specialists at our New York pain management center are familiar with how badly a pulled muscle in your back can hurt. In fact, medical experts categorize the extent of your tear into three grades, from grade I to grade III. Depending on the severity of the tissue damage in your muscle, your doctor rates your condition accordingly:
- Grade I reflects a mild strain. In a grade I strain, you’ve managed to stretch or tear just a few fibers in your muscle. Even though this back injury is painful, your muscle is still able to move normally, without any noticeable effect on your strength or range of motion.
- Grade II strains involve a greater number of muscle fibers. This type of pulled back muscle causes more back pain. The affected area of your back may be surprisingly tender. You also may notice a minor amount of swelling or bruising. A marked loss of strength accompanies this injury.
- Grade III is by far the most painful and severe pulled muscle in your back. If you have a grade III strain, your muscle has torn completely. You may have experienced a popping sensation when the muscle actually separated from the tendon. A grade III strain is a serious injury that results in complete loss of your ability to use your injured muscle. The pain associated with this injury may be unbearable. You may notice a sizeable gap or dent where your muscle has torn completely in two.
While all athletic activities carry a risk of muscle strain, the likelihood is significantly higher in contact sports or activities involving sudden starts like basketball and tennis. Athletes frequently suffer from lower back strains or sprains caused by ligament damage. However, these injuries can also result from simple daily actions such as bending to tie a shoe or stepping off a curb.
How We Treat a Pulled Muscle in the Back
Your pain doctor develops an individualized treatment plan to treat your pulled muscle in the back, whether it’s causing you pain in your upper back, mid-back or lower back. If your injury severely limits your mobility, your doctor may recommend that you immobilize the back muscle, which can be achieved with bed rest, an inflexible cast, a removable brace or possibly a wheelchair. Rest is usually the first course of treatment.
When you deal with the best back pain specialist in Manhattan, you’re given over-the-counter or prescription pain medicine to control the pain while your muscle heals. If restricting your movement doesn’t aid in healing your muscle, the last resort is to surgically repair it. But that course of treatment requires extensive rehabilitation, including physical therapy, to facilitate a full recovery.
Understanding the severity of a back injury is the first step toward recovery. If you suspect a muscle strain, do not delay seeking professional evaluation. Left untreated, your condition may worsen and progress through the grading scale, potentially leading to the need for surgery. Contact Pain Management NYC today.
Medically Reviewed by Dr. Boleslav Kosharskyy, MD
(Pain Management Doctor)