Low Back & Pelvis
Lumbar Sprain/Strain
Also called: Pulled low back
The most common acute low back injury: overload of muscles and ligaments from lifting, twisting, sports, or an unlucky movement. Painful — sometimes dramatically — but structurally minor and highly recoverable. The biggest mistakes are total bed rest and fear of movement.
Common signs
- Sudden or next-morning low back pain after activity
- Muscle spasm and guarding; trouble straightening up
- Pain stays in the back/buttock region (doesn't shoot below the knee)
- Improves gradually over days to weeks
Seek help now if
- Numbness in the groin/saddle area, or bladder/bowel changes — emergency (cauda equina)
- Leg weakness or foot drop
- Pain after major trauma; osteoporosis with new pain
- Fever, cancer history, unexplained weight loss, or unrelenting night pain
Any of these: call 911 or get to an emergency room first. Everything else can wait.
What to do first
- Keep moving: short frequent walks beat lying still
- Ice or heat for comfort in the first days, then favor heat
- Positions of relief (often lying with knees supported) used in doses, not all day
- If not clearly improving within a week, or pain runs down the leg, get examined
If it's become chronic
- Recurrent strains mean the system needs work: hip mobility, hinge mechanics, core endurance, and often joint restrictions worth correcting
- A structured strengthening program is the best re-injury insurance in all of spine care
Natural healing options we use
- Chiropractic adjusting to restore segmental motion
- Manual therapy for spasm and guarding
- Attended e-stim and PEMF
- McGill-style core endurance and hip-hinge retraining
- Hydration and anti-inflammatory nutrition
About imaging
Not indicated for typical acute strain in the first weeks absent red flags — early imaging finds incidental changes that mislead more than help.
Daily self-care
- Walk multiple times daily, gradually longer
- Learn and use the hip hinge for all bending
- Sleep with knee support (back) or pillow between knees (side)
How we can help
Chiropractic Adjustments
Learn more →Neuro-Electrical Stimulation
Learn more →Dry Needling
Learn more →More in Low Back & Pelvis
Lumbar Disc HerniationSciatica / Lumbar RadiculopathyLumbar Facet SyndromeLumbar Degenerative Disc DiseaseLumbar Spinal StenosisSpondylolysisSpondylolisthesisSacroiliac
Please read: this page is education, not a diagnosis. A proper examination is how a condition gets confirmed and a plan gets built. See our medical disclaimer.