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Torn Back Muscle Symptoms

Back pain due to tearing or spraining of back muscles can cause severe discomfort and pain. Although the condition may be caused by a variety of factors, a proper diagnosis can help to reduce pain and prevent the condition from recurring.

  1. Significance

    • Pain in the back due to injury to the back muscles is a common condition. On average, 80 percent of adults in the United States suffer from severe or moderate back pain due to tearing or spraining of the back muscles at some point in their life. Although back pain is generally mild and rarely a sign of a more serious condition, some patients suffer from agonizing, debilitating pain.

    Symptoms

    • Patients who suffer from torn back muscles, muscle fibers and ligaments often experience pain in the back as a primary symptom. Although generally the pain is centralized in the upper or lower back, some patients report pain in the mid-back as well. Patients may also experience muscle spasms in the back muscles. Pain may also increase with physical activity and decrease after resting.

    Pain from Muscle Strain

    • A patient may feel pain in the back when the back muscles become strained and begin to tear. The back muscles are formed by a series of muscle fibers that link together to produce a large muscle tissue. When the muscles are strained, the muscle fiber links become separated and torn. Although this is a relatively simple condition that heals with rest, muscle strain due to torn muscle fibers can result in minor tissue damage if left untreated or if the condition is severe.

    Pain from Muscle Sprain

    • A patient may also experience pain in the back if the muscle ligaments themselves become sprained and torn. The ligaments in the back are tough, fibrous connecting tissues that attach the muscles to their attachments, including surrounding tissues and bones. When the back muscle is sprained, the ligaments may tear or pull apart, causing pain and, if the sprain is severe enough, lasting muscle damage.

    Psychological Causes

    • Although torn back muscles may be a result of sprain or strain, a torn muscle may also be the result of stress and tension. Because emotional and psychological stress can lead to physical tension, the back muscles may begin to feel tight when a patient feels anxious or worried. This tightness may escalate to tearing of the muscle fibers or ligaments if the patient does not take immediate steps to reduce tension and relax the muscles and mind.

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