Lower Back Cramps

When you suffer from lower back cramps, you feel a sharp pain deep into the back muscles. Sometimes, the cramp is centered in one particular area, like on the right side, or left side, or at the center. You experience it mostly after the soft tissues of muscles or ligaments present in the area are injured. A back injury often leads to muscle strain or ligament sprain. Muscle strain is a condition where the muscle is stretched so much that tears develop in its fibers. In ligament sprain, the fibrous connective tissue which joins the muscle with the bone at the joint suffer abnormal stretching.

General Causes and Treatment of Lower Back Cramps

In this section, we are going to talk about those lower back cramps causes that can happen to any adult individual. They are as follows:

Injury: Acute lower back cramps is commonly triggered by an injury. The muscles and ligaments in the area may get hurt during accidents or while playing sports, doing exercises or due to a wrong bending technique. An injury related lower back pain starts all of a sudden. Rest, pain relieving medicines and physical therapy are the best possible treatment options for healing up this kind of injury.

Nerve Damage: The lower back cramps caused by damage in the nerve tissues can be identified with its accompanying symptoms, such as numbness, burning and tingling sensation at the back which may later move on to the legs as well. The common factors that put extra pressure on the nerve roots and trigger the back cramps are herniated discs, defects of vertebrae, like spondylolysis and spondylolisthesis, fracture in the vertebrae and narrowing of the spinal canal with aging. It is very difficult to manage this kind of cramps as the usual methods of back pain relief do not have any effect on it. Muscle relaxants are good as they help to heal up the damaged nerve. Once the cramp subsides, certain stretching exercises should be done to release the tension from the adjoining muscles.

Other Causes: Cramps in the lower back region can also develop due to problems in kidneys, hormonal disorders, diabetes, anemia, etc. Deficiency of essential minerals, like potassium and magnesium contribute towards this problem. Dehydration and side effects of some medicines can also be responsible for lower back cramps. In all these cases, doctors need to be consulted who can identify the exact cause and the treat the condition properly.

Lower Back Cramps in Pregnancy

Pregnant women often tend to get cramps in their lower part of the back as the muscles, ligaments, and joints in this area are under a lot of pressure. The key causes of lower back cramps during pregnancy are discussed here:

Lower Back Cramps in Early Pregnancy: The characteristics of the cramps in early pregnancy is quite similar to menstrual cramps. It happens due to implantation which takes place after 8-10 days of ovulation. As the uterus undergo expansion to prepare itself for the developing baby, the adjacent ligaments get stretched and cause light cramping in the lower back. Constipation or gas pains is quite common in this phase and can give muscle cramps in lower back and abdomen. When the cramp is accompanied by spotting and bleeding, it could be a sign of miscarriage. Ectopic pregnancy is another serious cause where the back cramp is felt along with severe abdominal pain, bleeding, etc. The last two causes require emergency medical attention.

Lower Back Cramps in Late Pregnancy: At the later stage of pregnancy, as the size of the baby grows, the uterus is stretched further, the supportive ligaments are pulled and mild cramps occur. When it is caused due to Braxton Hicks contractions in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, it usually lasts for just a few minutes. It could be a symptom of preterm labor if noticed in the period between 20 to 37 weeks. In this case, the cramps turn severe and is accompanied by diarrhea and back pain. Whenever a pregnant woman experiences lower back cramps, she should inform her doctor about it. Doctors understand better whether the cause is serious or not and start the treatment accordingly.

As you can see, almost all the causes of lower back cramps can be cured provided the treatment starts on time. Any delay in diagnosis often leads to unnecessary complications. If you develop cramps in the lower part of the back suddenly, then the first thing that you need is a good amount of rest so that it does not worsen further. Maintain a correct posture and do not bend down or try to lift heavy objects in this condition. Take care!