How to alleviate pain from lumbar muscle strain?

Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
Updated on May 04, 2025
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For patients with severe pain, topical ointments that activate blood circulation to dissipate blood stasis and reduce swelling and pain can be effectively used to alleviate the symptoms of pain caused by lumbar muscle strain. Additionally, local heat application or massage can be actively performed to effectively promote local blood circulation and the absorption of creatine kinase, improving the symptoms of lumbar muscle strain. Furthermore, oral administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and drugs that activate blood circulation to dissipate blood stasis can be used for treatment. It is important to rest and protect the affected area, wear a lumbar belt for protection, avoid sitting or standing for long periods, and refrain from bending over to lift heavy items or heavy lifting. (Please use medications under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Li Jin
Orthopedics
1min 15sec home-news-image

Can lumbar muscle strain be cured completely?

Whether lumbar muscle strain can be completely cured is related to the severity of the condition. Generally, patients with mild conditions should rest and may use anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications, or treatment methods such as hot compresses, physical therapy, and massage. Symptoms can be effectively relieved within a few days, and recovery is possible. For more severe cases, recovery may be slower if patients do not rest properly, and there could be recurrent episodes as well. Thus, patients with lumbar muscle strain should also pay attention to rest and recuperation routinely, develop correct habits for using the lower back, and reduce heavy physical activities involving the lower back. Additionally, it is important to stay warm and prevent exposure to cold. Patients can also use anti-inflammatory and analgesic medications, and drugs that promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis to facilitate recovery. Heat compresses and physical therapy can be used as well. These methods play an active role in improving symptoms and promoting recovery. (Note: The use of medications should be carried out under the guidance of a professional doctor.)

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Written by Cheng Bin
Orthopedics
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Is lumbar muscle strain serious?

For severe lumbar muscle strain, in cases where the strain is not very severe, it usually manifests as the patient primarily experiencing symptoms of soreness and pain in the lower back. For such patients, full recovery is still possible with active cooperation in treatment. First, it is necessary to reduce local irritation by strictly resting and protecting the affected area, which is the best condition for patient recovery. It is important to avoid prolonged sitting or standing, excessive bending or lifting heavy objects. It is advisable to wear a lumbar support belt to protect the lower back and actively apply local treatments such as heat application, massage, acupuncture, and cupping. Additionally, topical application of ointments that invigorate the blood and dispel stasis can also be used. Most patients will gradually recover through these active treatment methods.

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Written by Li Jin
Orthopedics
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What should I do if I have a lumbar muscle strain?

Patients with lumbar muscle strain primarily suffer from back injuries due to long-term heavy physical activities involving the waist, poor posture, and chronic wear and tear, causing symptoms such as lower back pain and restricted movement. Those suffering from lumbar muscle strain should first focus on rest and develop proper habits of using their waist to avoid engaging in long-term heavy physical activities. At the same time, symptomatic treatment may include the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesics, combined with heat application, physical therapy, massage, or trigger point injection. These methods can actively improve pain symptoms and promote recovery.

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Written by Na Hong Wei
Orthopedics
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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.

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Written by Guan Yu Hua
Orthopedic Surgery
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Can you exercise with lumbar muscle strain?

Lumbar muscle strain primarily arises from repetitive stretching of the back muscles due to work-related activities or intense physical exercise. This leads to a range of symptoms, such as stiffness in the lower back upon waking in the morning, reluctance to move, and symptomatic relief after some activity. It is advised to gently exercise the lower back to effectively alleviate symptoms, avoid strenuous exercise or prolonged bending and heavy physical labor. It's best to strictly rest on a firm mattress, perform warm-up activities for the lower back, and undergo appropriate physical therapy and massage. Consuming blood-activating and pain-relieving medications can also help. Typically, symptoms will gradually ease over 7-10 days. Although light activity for lumbar muscle strain is acceptable, engaging in exercise is not recommended. Rest is necessary, and a general rest period of about half a month will gradually reduce symptoms. Recurrences are common, so it is important to regularly care for your lower back by avoiding activities such as bending to lift heavy objects, carrying heavy loads, etc., as these can easily lead to repetitive strain injuries of the back muscles.