Your back muscles provide stability to your spine and keep your upper body aligned with your pelvis and lower body. Conditions such as back spasms, strains or sprains, or high-degree injuries or conditions, such as a shifted disc, arthritis or osteoporosis, can cause acute to severe pain in your back muscles. Icing your back muscles using advice from your healthcare professional can help speed up the rehabilitation process.
Application to Muscles
Within 24 hours of experiencing pain, apply a large, cold ice pack to your back muscles at the sight of inflammation for 20 to 30 minutes, every hour, to reduce pain and swelling. Consider applying heat to your muscles using heating pads every 20 to 30 minutes, every hour, to increase blood flow and circulation to your muscles. Alternatively, take a shower in warm water for 20 to 30 minutes.
Considerations
Avoid making any excessive, sudden movements as you ice your back muscles or perform any heavy lifting as you walk up and down a set of stairs. These actions could increase muscle pain and prolong the healing process. Rest as much as possible and avoid prolonging ice application for more than 30 minutes, as this could stiffen your muscles and cause more pain. Perform light exercises to strengthen your back muscles and educate yourself on your back pain by consulting your healthcare professional.
Symptoms of Back Pain
You can determine if your back pain is acute or severe by noticing how long it lasts. Mayo Clinic considers back pain that lasts a few days to a few weeks to be acute and back pain that lasts longer than three months to be chronic. Consult your healthcare professional about your back pain if it does not show signs of improvement after 72 hours of self-care, or numbs different areas of your body, such as your legs and feet.
Warning
Maintain a straight back with proper posture while icing your back as you sit or lay down. Find surfaces that provide back support and make adjustments by moving your whole body, instead of twisting at your waist. If you choose to ice your back while sleeping, sleep on your side with your knees bent, and the rest your body on top of a pillow. Avoid sleeping on your stomach unless you place a pillow between your hips.
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