Muscle spasms in the back can be treated using conservative therapies, such as chiropractic, massage therapy and physical therapy. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, when a back muscle goes into spasm, the muscle feels tight and the pain can be severe. Back muscle spasms may occur when a muscle is overused or injured, or from a herniated disc that irritates the spinal nerves.
Chiropractic
Chiropractic care can be effective at treating back muscle spasms. According to the Spine Universe website, back muscle spasms are the body's way of protecting the spinal joints from further injury. The protective muscle spasm or spasms often lead to a fixated joint--a joint that does not move properly--and a continuation of the person's symptoms. Back muscles pulling against a fixed joint exacerbate the inflammation and muscle injury. Chiropractors attempt to reduce muscle spasms by treating the fixated joint or joints that may be contributing to the spasm, using joint mobilization or manipulation delivered to the appropriate vertebrae. To augment his treatment and resolve back spasms, a chiropractor may use other manual medicine soft tissue techniques--including massage, muscle stretching and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization--as well as thermal therapy or various physical therapy modalities.
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is a common method for reducing back muscle spasms. According to MayoClinic.com, massage therapy techniques can reduce pain, improve muscle tone, decrease swelling, increase joint mobility, boost circulation and decrease muscle spasms and muscle tension. During a massage, a licensed massage therapist mobilizes and manipulates the soft tissues--including muscle, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and skin--using numerous massage techniques and degrees of pressure. The massage techniques used to address muscle spasm depend on the phase of a person's injury or condition. Massage therapists who treat trigger points--hyperirritable nodules within a tight band of muscle--use focused pressure on the tender points to reduce trigger point-related hypersensitivity, referred pain and back muscle spasms.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy techniques and modalities can be effective at treating back muscle spasms and spasm-related pain or discomfort. According to the Spine Universe website, electrical stimulation--also known as high voltage pulsed galvanic stimulation--is often used by physical therapists to reduce muscle spasm and soft tissue edema or swelling, despite a relative lack of scientific evidence for its efficacy. Like many other treatment methods, however, clinical evidence for the efficacy of electrical muscle stimulation is greater than research alone suggests. It's believed that electrical muscle stimulation reduces muscle spasms and pain due to its counter-irritant effect, effect on nerve conduction and a reduction in muscle contractility. The Spine Universe website states that electrical muscle stimulation may be combined with ice or heat to augment its effects, especially its analgesic effects.
