Have I done something serious?

If you’ve ever experienced instant debilitating back pain where the lower back essentially Locks up, you’ll know how painful it can be and how scary it can be if you don’t know how or why it’s happened.

Whilst there are many reasons for your back to “lock up” it’s essentially a protective function where the surrounding back muscles go into spasm and contract to protect the area. This spasm although protective causes pain and very limited movement.

When the body goes into lock down, the best thing to do at the beginning is try and get into a comfortable position so your not tensing up further and take medication such as ibruphen. You can also try ice in terms of a cold flannel as actual ice could cause you to tense further and heat could further inflame the area if there’s inflammation. When the initial spasm eases slightly and you can get your breath back, GENTLE movement is good. The body likes movement and it will help to encourage the area to relax and heal.

After a couple of days seek treatment, as your therapist will be able to examine and assess why it happen and help you fully recover and reduce the risk of it happening again.

If you experience any of the following symptoms you MUST go straight to A&E

* Neurological symptoms in both legs. Weakness, tingling, Pins and needles or numbness in both legs.

* Altered sensation in the “saddle region,” or saddle anesthesia. The saddle region is the area of the body that would be in contact with a saddle when sitting on a horse. This region includes the groin, the buttocks and genitals, and the upper inner thighs. Such as numbness, tingling, and/or weakness.

* Bladder or bowel incontinence. Such as poor urinary stream, an altered or lack of sensation while urinating, urinary retention, loss of rectal control, and/or the need to strain in order to urinate.