Back Pain And Muscles: 8 Tips For Painful Back Muscles!

Do you have back pain? Then it is possible that your back muscles have to do with this. Because did you know that your body consists of more than 600 muscles? So there is a good chance that your muscles may be related to your back pain.

I find the muscular system very interesting, but it is also a very complex system. In my blog, I would like to tell you more about back muscles and back pain. I also like to give you 8 tips on what to do with painful back muscles!

How do you get painful back muscles?
All muscles in the body have a unique function and are essential for every movement you make. If you do not move properly, your muscles may become overloaded. Overloading occurs, for example, with (top) athletes, but also a (long-term) incorrect sitting posture or exercising heavy physical work can cause overload.

An example of a long wrong sitting position is sitting wrong on your computer. When your keyboard is too far away from computing, you often automatically close your head to the computer. This increases your tension in your neck, shoulder and lower back muscles. When you sit in this wrong posture for too long, you may feel as if your back is "stuck". If you do not do this wrong sitting posture for a long time, you may end up with neck pain, shoulder pain or back pain as a result of the wrong use of your muscles.

Which back muscles cause back pain?
Your back muscles are also called 'muscular dorsi' in the anatomy. Literally translated this means 'the muscles located at the back'. The back muscles ensure that your back can make different movements, such as:

• Stretches (extension)
• Moving sideways (lateroflexion)
• Rotate (rotation)
• Bending (flexion)

Common back muscles that can be the cause of your back problems:

• Musculus Levator Scapulae has the function of lifting your shoulder blade.
• Musculus Trapezius, the monkshaper muscle or the diamond-shaped muscle on top of your back.
• Muscular Erector Spinae has the function of stretching your back.
• Musculus Latissimus dorsi also called the 'broad back muscle'.
• Musculus Rhomboideus, the diamond-shaped muscle between your shoulder blades.
• Intercostal musculature, the muscles between the ribs

Of course, it is not only the muscles that can give back problems, it is often a combination of muscles (myogenic), hairstyles (ligament) and joints (arthrogen). We are happy to map the cause of your complaints during the intake.

Complaints with painful muscles
When you experience pain when moving or when you contract a muscle, you may have muscle injury or increased muscle tone (hypertonia) in your back. Complaints that often occur in muscle injuries are:

• Ignition;
• Cramps;
• Swelling;
• Muscle weakness;
• Muscle spasm;
• Pain radiation to the head, arms, buttocks and/or legs.

How long do muscle complaints last?
In the event of a healthy course, your complaints will last about a week if there is an overload. However, if you continue to continue with these symptoms for too long and your body does not receive sufficient recovery, these symptoms can become chronic. Chronic complaints mean that you have persistent symptoms for more than 3 months. This does not mean that complaints never pass, in contrast to what many people think about the words 'chronic complaints'. 2 For clarification, also read the blog of my colleague Edwin van de Velden: ' When do we speak of chronic back pain? '

8 tips for muscle (pain) complaints
Below, I would like to give you some tips on what to do if you have painful (back) muscles:

Keep moving but within the pain limit.
Take into account the load and the readability of your back. Do not go too fast when, for example, you enter the garden again for the first time this year by gardening for 2 hours at a time. Divide the work rather and hold a regular break.

Stretching the muscles
With aching muscles, it helps to stretch. Stretching your muscles is allowed every hour of the day and promotes the reduction of tension in the muscle. However, the stretching does not ensure a faster recovery, which is often thought.

Rest & correct sleeping position
Provide sufficient rest and a good sleeping position.

Correct sitting posture
Ensure a good sitting posture.

Healthy nutrition
Unhealthy factors such as cigarettes, alcohol and excessive coffee, hamper the recovery process. Choose healthy food and make sure you drink enough water.

Massaging muscles
You can also massage your so-called 'trigger points' against the wall by means of a golf or tennis ball.

Painkillers
Take any pain relief (possibly in consultation with your doctor or pharmacy). Because exercise is so important, it is advisable to use painkillers for the purpose of promoting movement in the event of back pain.

Training back muscles
Ask your Rug expert which exercises or sport you can do during and/or after the episode of the complaints and which activities you can better avoid. Slowly building the load on your muscles is important to prevent injuries.