How long should one rest for a lumbar muscle strain?

Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
Updated on May 31, 2025
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For patients with lumbar muscle strain, it is generally necessary to rest for about seven to ten days, which is beneficial for the improvement of clinical symptoms of lumbar muscle strain. However, if vigorous exercise, fatigue, or exposure to cold occur later, it may cause the symptoms of lumbar muscle strain to recur. Therefore, even after recovery, it is necessary to pay attention to rest and protection, avoid cold exposure, and prevent external injuries. Topically, some ointments that activate blood circulation and disperse stasis can be used. Wearing a lumbar belt to protect the spine, taking oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medications, and medications that activate blood and resolve stasis can be effective treatments. This can be accompanied by acupuncture, massage, heat therapy, and cupping as physiotherapy methods, and gradual recovery can be achieved. (Specific medications should be taken under the guidance of a physician.)

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Written by Wang Cheng Lin
Orthopedics
1min 22sec home-news-image

What should I do if I have a lumbar muscle strain?

The recurrence of lumbar muscle strain primarily requires rest as the first measure; it is essential to rest in bed and avoid exerting the muscles in the lower back. Secondly, some external plasters can be applied, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and analgesic plasters, as well as plasters that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, to alleviate pain in the lower back. Thirdly, some physical therapy methods can be used, such as massage, acupuncture, electrotherapy, and magnet therapy to relieve the pain in the muscles of the lower back. However, among these methods, rest is the most important, including being cautious with methods of exercise and training. For instance, some people prefer running, while others enjoy playing ball sports; generally, patients with lumbar muscle strain should absolutely avoid these kinds of activities. If they engage in strenuous activities even once, the lumbar muscle strain will recur. It is recommended for patients with lumbar muscle strain who enjoy exercise to consider swimming; swimming is a non-weight-bearing form of exercise that does not aggravate the condition but can strengthen the muscles in the lower back, alleviating the symptoms of lumbar muscle strain. (Please use medication under the guidance of a professional physician.)

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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Can lumbar muscle strain be massaged?

Lumbar muscle strain can be treated with massage if the technique and pressure are appropriate, making it a very important treatment method. Lumbar muscle strain generally involves the muscles which, due to prolonged overload, leads to reduced self-regulatory capacity or chronic aseptic inflammation of the muscle or its attachment points due to poor self-regulation. If the massage technique is correct, it can enhance local blood circulation and accelerate cellular metabolism. This helps in the faster elimination and release of inflammatory substances and pain factors. Moreover, massage can also relax tense muscles, allowing the strained lumbar muscles to rest and the damaged areas to recuperate. Therefore, lumbar muscle strain can indeed benefit from massage, and with the correct techniques, it can have a very effective therapeutic impact.

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Written by Li Jin
Orthopedics
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Can lumbar muscle strain be cured completely?

Patients with lumbar muscle strain can generally improve their symptoms or even recover after rest or treatment. The main causes of lumbar muscle strain include long-term heavy physical activities involving the waist, poor posture, chronic strain, trauma, etc., which can cause symptoms such as back pain and limited mobility. These symptoms lessen after rest but can worsen after resuming strenuous activities. For the treatment of lumbar muscle strain, it is important first to rest and develop correct habits of using the waist to avoid long-term heavy physical activities involving this area. Treatment may include the symptomatic use of anti-inflammatory pain medications, combined with heat application, physical therapy, massage, or block therapy. These methods can play a positive role in symptom improvement and recovery. (Specific medications should be used under the guidance of a physician.)

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Written by Li Jin
Orthopedics
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How to diagnose lumbar muscle strain

For the diagnosis of lumbar muscle strain, it is mainly based on symptoms, physical examination, or combined with imaging studies. The typical symptoms of lumbar muscle strain include soreness or swelling pain in the lower back, which worsens with exertion and lessens with rest. Patients are also unable to persist in activities that involve bending over. During a physical examination, tender points in the lower back may be found, or imaging studies can be used to rule out other lumbar spine conditions. Under these circumstances, a diagnosis of lumbar muscle strain can be made. Patients with lumbar muscle strain should pay attention to rest, and can use anti-inflammatory pain medications, combined with heat therapy, physiotherapy, massage, and blocking methods for treatment, which generally can effectively improve symptoms and promote recovery. (Specific medication use should be under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
1min 19sec home-news-image

How to assist in the examination of lumbar muscle strain?

How should lumbar muscle strain be assessed through auxiliary examinations? What auxiliary examinations are needed for lumbar muscle strain? Clinically, lumbar muscle strain is quite common; out of every ten people, at least two or three have it. The characteristic of these patients is that their symptoms are severe but their physical signs are mild. Therefore, when encountering such patients, a screening process is generally required, which involves a method of exclusion. After examination, an X-ray is usually taken first to check for obvious lumbar spondylolisthesis, the severity of bone hyperplasia, and any traumas, whether fresh or old, that might have caused vertebral fractures. Then, some people might need a CT scan, which aims to exclude lumbar disc herniation. Many patients do not have herniated discs, or only have slight bulging, but their symptoms are severe, making them restless. Generally, there is no need for an MRI, but some patients strongly request an MRI examination. After the MRI, sometimes high-density shadows can be seen in the muscles of the lower back, which might be caused by injuries within these muscles. Therefore, the auxiliary examinations for lumbar muscle strain are usually negative, with few positive findings, which is a characteristic of this condition.