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
If any of these is sudden or severe, call 911 or go to an emergency room. For the others, get examined before you start self-care.
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
The longer road
- 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 →Massage & Soft-Tissue Therapy
Learn more →PEMF Therapy
Learn more →Keep working on it at home
Once you have been examined and cleared to load it, these free home programs cover this part of the body.
More in Low Back & Pelvis
Lumbar Disc HerniationSciatica / Lumbar RadiculopathyLumbar Facet SyndromeLumbar Degenerative Disc DiseaseLumbar Spinal StenosisSpondylolysisSpondylolisthesisSacroiliac (SI) Joint DysfunctionPiriformis Syndrome / Deep Gluteal PainCoccydyniaPregnancy-Related Pelvic Girdle & Low Back PainAdult Degenerative ScoliosisAdolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
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.