How to Rehabilitate a Muscle Tear in the Back

A muscle tear in the back occurs when a back muscle is overstretched or torn. The muscle cells that are grouped together to form a muscle, muscle fibers, are damaged. Muscle tears are also termed "back strain" or "pulled back muscles." Muscle tears result from misused or overused muscles or even a fall or twist. Rehabilitation of a torn back muscle requires a good physician, time and a lot of patience. Doctors generally suggest bed rest to repair and rehabilitate a torn muscle. There are other things that an individual can do as well.

Things You'll Need

• Anti-inflammatory medications
• Pain medications
• Ice pack
• Heating pad

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Instructions

• 1

  Take anti-inflammatory medications, codeine and/or muscle relaxants in the early days after a back muscle tear. Ask the attending physician for a prescription.

• 2

  Remain as immobile as possible during the first days after the muscle tear injury. Rehabilitation should not begin until the torn back muscle has had a few days to rest and recover from the trauma.

• 3

  Apply ice, wrapped in a cloth, every four hours for a quarter of an hour. Do this for the first several days after a muscle tear injury to facilitate recovery and rehabilitation. (A patient with circulation problems or a nerve condition should apply heat or cold only with a physician's approval.)

• 4

  Apply heat in the same manner once the inflammation has subsided (after four or five days). (A patient with circulation problems or a nerve condition should apply heat or cold only with a physician's approval.) Once heat therapy is begun, rehabilitation for the back muscle tear can begin.

• 5

  Drink a lot of water. This will flush out the toxins from the body that muscle activity has caused and aid as rehabilitation commences.

• 6

  Start doing gentle stretching exercises once the physician gives her OK. The first steps of muscle tear rehabilitation are to increase mobility and muscle range.

• 7

  Build up the exercise program slowly with increasingly demanding exercises to rehabilitate the torn back muscle. When feeling pain, stop immediately and rest. Start again slowly and keep it gentle.