Pulled a muscle in my back...heat or cold?

Question

It is so painful I can't sneeze or cough or even take a deep breath...Robaxacet hasn't even touched it..Please help...No way I'm sleeping tonight.

Answer 1

Try alternating heat and cold. My chiropractor told me to soak in a hot bath- but not so hot that I can't relax- and then put an ice pack on my back after I get out, but not longer than 15 minutes or so because the muscles get cold and start to tense up. And to take an anti-inflammatory like Advil or Motrin. I have tried it, and it does help. The pain usually eases enough so that I can sleep, at least. I hope this is a help to you.

Answer 2

COLD! COLD! COLD!

OK, here's how it works:

Your back is injured. It wants to swell, which will make more pain for you. Heat will increase blood flow, which will increase swelling... which will mean it hurts about 10x worse tomorrow than it does now.

Cold will DECREASE the swelling, which is what you want right now.

Take an anti-inflamatory, too. (Ibuprophen, naproxene {Motrin, Advil, Aleve}) It will help bring the swelling down, which will decrease the pain.

If you can get someone to recommend a good chiropractor or (better still!) traditional Acupuncturist, they can be a great help.

Until then, ice it. And try to spend as much time as you can flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet near your butt. (This position helps relieve all pressure on the back, so it's just being supported by the floor. Less pain.)

If you must lie on your side (and I know sometimes you gotta!), bend your knees up in front of you and put a pillow between them.


I hope you're better soon!

Answer 3

cold is used in cases for acute or recent injury. Use heat for more long term or lingering issues in your back. If used too soon heat can exasperate the problem. Id try the cold first for a few days at least no more than 15 minutes at a time.

Answer 4

Apply ice to your back. Ice will help with the inflammation. I have back issues and see a chiropractor regularly. I strained it BADLY a month ago and she prescribed ice, as well as aspirin. I was back to normal in about a week.

By all means, visit a chiropractor. Your back may be out of alignment and in need of an adjustment. It would definitely be worth the visit. A good chiropractor can also give you exercises to strengthen your back and abdominal (very important) muscles, to lessen (or even greatly reduce the possibility of this happening again) the pain should this happen again. Good luck!

Answer 5

Use both heat and cold. Ten minutes heat, ten minutes cold. And see a chiropractor. A doctor can't do anything for you but take your money. My doctor couldn't see in an xray that my rib had popped out of its socket. I couldn't sleep for weeks and was in constant pain 24/7. Finally, I went to my chiropractor and he saw a little bump on my back (hmm, wonder how the doc missed it?) and popped it back into place. Instant relief! The only thing I could think of that might have happened was extreme coughing due to bronchitis. All better now, and I fired the doctor! LOL

Answer 6

With a pulled muscle you always use heat. You only use cold when there is swelling. It may also help to use a heat wrap

Answer 7

Ice. Ice will numb the pain almost completely and reduce swelling and inflammation. If you can, take 600mg of Motrin too or some other anti inflammatory drug.

People always say to use heat. You always see athletes icing their muscles not heating them up which will do nothing to reduce pain or inflammation and will actually inflame the muscles even more and cause even more pain. Try ice for twenty minutes once an hour.

Lay flat on your back with a pillow or two under your knees to take all the pressure off your back muscles too.

When your back is better some, you can stand in a hot shower to help relax the muscles some, but then wait a while and ice them again.

Answer 8

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Pulled a muscle in my back...heat or cold?
It is so painful I can't sneeze or cough or even take a deep breath...Robaxacet hasn't even touched it..Please help...No way I'm sleeping tonight.

Answer 9

if under 72-96 hours ice it; if over that use heat because heat right away after an injury will only increase inflammation which will increase the pain and ice will help the inflammation in the area and deaden the nerves for a little bit.

Answer 10

i went to a physical therapists for sore muscles in my arm and she told me to use both. alternate the hot and cold. i always thought the same about just use heat on sore muscles but the hot and cold really did help.