What is a Back Sprain?

What exactly is a back sprain? Dr. Shim explains.

The Shim Spine Exercises app can be found at the App Store and Google Play.

Citations:

Ren CZ, Fang XL, Du XZ. [Fifty-six cases of acute lumbar sprain treated by buccal acupuncture combined with exercise therapy]. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2014 Mar;34(3):245-6. PubMed PMID: 24843964

Bashkuev M, Reitmaier S, Schmidt H. Relationship between intervertebral disc and facet joint degeneration: A probabilistic finite element model study. J Biomech. 2019 Nov 16;:109518. PubMed PMID: 31767286

Music: Creative Minds by BenSound

[jakeythecrow]

You know you’re in a bad place when you come to these sorts of videos

[dubbingustadg]

I love this guy for always saying that body has the ability to heal itself 😍

[mistake]

“Stretch” when I stretch it makes it hurts so bad, it feels like I broke my back

[welcometofranknomenal]

Sir. The visuals and explanation was superb. I recently over stretched and as a result of holding that stretch I hurt my back something awful. Now that I am healing, I know not to do that again. Your video really helped me have a better perspective of my injury. Healing ROCKS. GOOD DAY SIR.

[devinm]

I tried to squat this girl at a tailgate for 5 reps and I felt like hell an hour later. I can walk and run perfectly fine after the incident. I’m very lucky I didn’t slip a disc. An easy way to tell if you hurt your spine and not just your muscles is to walk or jog downhill or do leg raises.

[Hennakhurshid]

Guys guys all who are suffering from Lumber Sprain: People! It will only go away if you take proper rest and let your injured muscles heal. During healing massage is best along with acupuncture and light stretches. Rest as much as you can. It won't stiff your muscle. You are allowed to do your daily routine work like going to toilet and making quick breakfast. Once you are feeling good with no pain symptoms then start doing these exercises to strengthen your muscles. Some idiot Dr told me to keep active and I couldn't get better in 3 weeks and now just once week of rest I'm feeling good. Rest is the key to poor injured muscles

[muhdrizuan]

Lower back pain on left side. I was pulling loads in my working place. As I was forcing the pull the load, I literally can feel one long stretch on left lower back. Like someone is pulling the muscle inside my lower left hip side. I put down the load and I feel the pain. Now, still in rest mode. Now I'm always sleep on the floor, on flat surface.

[Horizon]

Good presentation with excellent graphics, I wish all medical films were as well done as this. It would be v. useful to see a series of films about medical issues and the human anatomy presented like this.

[Siddy]

One of the worst pains I was having appalling pain in my lumbar spine for almost 5 months, but it was an as bad. Then I went on holiday on a motorcycle and somebody pulled out in front of me and I harshly broke the motorbike which caused a huge Pauling impact and I felt my muscle tear, I have not been the same since the amount of pain it causes me to stand up some days. I have good days and Sundays. I have bad days but it is the worst stabbing pain. It feels like someone is ripping the muscle by hand and pulling it, I can't explain the amount of pain it's causing me I have been to the doctors and they have said I have torn my lower back muscle. I've tried exercising IE example 10, 000 steps a day tried stretching Sundays stretching feels good. Sunday is the stretching feels bad I just want to get better hope I haven't permanently damage to myself. They told me I have torn my back muscle and weight is a key problem . I just want my life back it's depresing I can't bend I can't walk sometimes I can't turn I can't swim I can't do nothing

[madmike]

I was just stretching my back and heard and felt a pop in my lower back, pretty sure Its dislocated, it feels like a knife in stuck in my spine and i can't move..😫 what really freaks me out, I had a spinal tumor removed from between my L5 and L4 a few years ago. I'm getting a little worried that I end up wheelchair before I'm 40.

[nabilanabila]

Hurt my back when lift my laptop. Got to a doctor and had xray. Doctor said something about lower bone dislocate to the left, caused by muscle strain. Pain is everyday, even when im resting. The pain start from upper back, lower back, buttock and thigh. I cant sleep. Already 6 months

[jadeco]

I was stretching this morning. I was a bit too motivated and stretched a bit too hard, now my upper right back hurts when I inhale.

[aaronguerrero]

Amazing video. Thanks for being concise.

[Tg-gzqt]

Bro what the hell I just literally sat on my bed and got it in a matter of seconds. Even breathing hurts!!!

[emadalashqar]

All thanks to Dr. Shim you gave me clear concept about intervertebral disc and their stenosis and the way to cure and heal
Thanks

[tinytinymustrdseed]

So not so dissimilar from some of u guys, I did some relatively light exercise last week after not doing much at all, there was little pain, which I expected. I kept going, then decided I better slow down even more. (I don't know if it was because of this??) Then yesterday I was struggling to just put the bins out, hang the washing, walk up the stairs. Went to bed early with a bag of frozen peas on the lower part of my spine and a short prayer for me and anyone else going through stuff. One sleep later, I have rested well, there is less pain, will take things easier. So I don't think my situation was as serious as some of you but, I wish u all better, and will keep you in my prayers. Funny how some of us, take our bodies for granted until something happens 👀🙈 But I believe there's always hope, let's be positive, be gentle with ourselves and take things slowly🙏🏽🤗👧🏻

[julzjenkins]

It's 3rd week off work due too lumber sprain it slowly is getting less painfull . First week was horrible and seemed it wasn't getting any less at all . Over the last couple of days the pain has decreased which is soo appreciated.

[navajorezathlete]

I was carrying a thick heavy long beam at work and twisted sideways to go through a narrow door and strained my back. This happened 2 years ago and just when I think it's all better I start squatting in the gym and I've injured it 3 times ever since and each time it was just as painful taking 4 days to a week to heal and now I'm scared to squat with a barbell or carrying and walk with heavy things. I do leg workouts still. I du Bulgarian split squats and sissy squats along with leg curl machines and leg press machine. Can anyone tell me if it was a muscle, a tendon or a spinal injury I had? I have to stretch alot and I always feel stiff to this day

[BrkenTransMissin]

when i was 10 i was jump roping and the rope whipped my back and i fell to the ground not being able to breath i'm 14 now and it still hurts

[armofgod]

**This is NOT medical advice**
**Always seek professional/medical advice**

Just want to chronicle what happened to me yesterday (12/22/2020 at 8am). I was trying to find pertinent information yesterday, but I couldn't find any that matched my situation. Hopefully this will provide some needed info for another soul.

1) At approx. 8am, I was shadow boxing (as a form of exercise) when I over exerted and inadvertently twisted by back--translation, I blew my back. In an instant, I couldn't stand up. Good thing, the bathroom sink was there to help break my fall.

2) Situation: From 8am to approximately 5pm, I couldn't put any weight on my back. Even when I was sitting down, I had to support my weight with my arms (via armrest of my office chair). The lower back area was so ginger that the slightest movement would cause back spasms.

3) After an hour of being fixed in a pseudo-upgright position (sitting down while supported by my arms), I realized that I needed to start moving my body. I was afraid that it will be harder to recuperate with my body "locking" up in a frozen position for hours.

4) So from 8am to 5pm, I did the following very excruciating exercises:
i) I learned how to push my office chair backwards to go to the bathroom -- my office chair acted as a defacto wheelchair at this point. My daughter also assisted by bringing me a cold pack from the freezer, hot salonpas (an icyhot patch) and a generic Target ibuprofen 200mg per pill (I took 2 pills).
ii) I moved my chair towards a bunk bed that was in my home office. I was able to muster enough energy to lunge forward and grab one of the legs of the bunk bed with my left hand and with my right grab the frame of the top bunk bed. That one swoop movement enabled me to stand up (albeit all hunched up). This was extremely painful and caused by back to twitch with lower back spasms.
iii) When I got tired with ii), I took a "break" and sat back down -- keep in my mind that my arms would also eventually get tired, cause my arms are supporting my weight while sitting down.
iv) To change things up, I attempted to lie completely on the floor with either my face up or down--after 4-5 attempts, I realized that it was not possible. It was extremely too painful and the spasms were being triggered at my every adjustment--it was a nightmare situation just trying to get back from all fours, to my chair in an upright position.
v) My true break came, when I figured out how to take a nap.... After 3 or 4 hours of doing steps i) to iv), I realized that I was getting too tried to sustain this kind of cadence. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that I could place a layer of pillows on my lap while seated and I could lean on those pillows with minimal pain.. I fell asleep for about 10 minutes. Which was enough for me to keep going.


-- If you're not a Catholic Christian, please skip this section. This will just upset you ---

So my brother, my mom and dad arrived around 5pm and my dad brought his blessed Holy Oil and prayed over my back. As my brother and parents where praying over my back, my dad was making a sign of the cross on my lower back with the Holy Oil. He asked in Jesus Name to relieve my back of any pain and to bring physical healing. After the prayer, my brother and mom left to buy me some aloe vera drink (they said that it had medicinal effects)
.


-- When my bro and mom left, my dad saw me attempting to do the exercise from 4) ii)... so he urged me to try to lift my legs as I was standing up (like I was marching in place). Even with the pain, I tried to follow my dad's suggestions (both my mom and dad have a hospital background). Thank God, I was finally able to stand without any support (with pain). But that motivated me to take tiny steps (with pain). Next thing you know, I am walking (with pain). After 10 minutes of just walking with pain, I was finally able to go down the stairs.

-- I thank God for my healing. It's now just over 24hours since the incident. I was able to get "some" sleep. I took some Aleve PM last night. But what also helped is the fact that my wife and I have a pretty tall bed. So I did not have to hunch as much to slide into bed. I moved my body in "diagonal" positions so that my lower back wouldn't result in spasms. "parallel" is your body lying down and parallel to the bed. "diagonal" means your body making an "x" with the relation to the edge of the bed. By doing these movements, I was able to minimize spasms when I got in and out of bed. I really hope this provides some assistance to someone. At the very least... maybe it will inspire of things NOT to do.

If you're reading this, you have probably sustained a recent acute back pain. Best wishes on your situation. Peace.