How to Recover From Long-Term Back Muscle Spasms

Muscle spasms in your back are usually associated with back pain as well. Long-term back spasms can make every movement or activity mentally and physically exhausting. Check with your doctor to make sure you don't have a condition in your back such as a slipped or ruptured disk, as surgery may be necessary to recover from your muscle spasms. If your doctor is not able to find anything seriously wrong with your back, you can try several things on your own to try to recover from the back spasms.

Things You'll Need

• Mattress
• Pillows
• TENS unit
• Hydrotherapy
• Jet tub
• Ultrasound
• Acupuncture
• Acupressure

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Instructions

• 1

  Get a new mattress. Buy a mattress that supports your entire body; this does not necessarily mean that you need a firm mattress. If you sleep on your side, you may need a mattress that will conform to the contours of your shoulders and hips, such as a memory foam mattress. If you sleep on your back, you may enjoy a firmer mattress. If you sleep on your side, put a pillow between your knees and possibly your ankles. If you sleep on your back, put a pillow or two underneath your knees to take the pressure off your back. Use pillows anywhere, while sleeping, to give support and take pressure off your back.

• 2

  Use a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation, or TENS, unit. TENS units are used to control pain and spasms in your back. The TENS unit is a pocket-sized, battery-powered device that sends small electrical signals into the nerves to disrupt the pain signals and spasms. You can wear the TENS unit most of the day and even sleep with it at night. Do not shower or bathe in your TENS unit. Get a prescription for the TENS unit from your doctor.

• 3

  Strengthen and stretch your lower back to increase stability and reduce spasms. Check with your doctor before starting an exercise program, but most doctors agree that mild strengthening and stretching is good for back spasms and pain. Try a gentle yoga class to begin with or learn exercises from a physical therapist who specializes in back conditions.

• 4

  Do hydrotherapy to loosen up the muscle tissue of your back by sitting in a whirlpool or hot tub with water jets. If you have a lot of swelling in your back, wait until the swelling goes down before doing hot tub hydrotherapy as heat increases swelling and swelling causes pain.

• 5

  Have ultrasound done on your lower back. Ultrasound uses sound waves that break down scar tissue, relax the muscle spasms and increase circulation in your back to promote healing. Ultrasound therapy is usually done by a physical therapist or a chiropractor.

• 6

  Look into alternative medicine to relieve spasms, such as acupuncture and acupressure. Both of these methods use pressure points to relieve the nerves that trigger the spasms. Acupuncture uses small needles and acupressure uses hand pressure.