Category: Spine Surgery | Author: Stefano Sinicropi | Date: November 18, 2025
There are a number of different muscles throughout the spine that play an integral role in supporting your spinal column and aiding with movement, but if one or more of these muscle groups are overloaded, it can lead to what’s known as a strain injury. Muscle strains, also commonly referred to as a muscle tear, can be mild to severe in significance, but their location will also play a role in the symptoms you experience and the treatment course you should follow. In today’s blog, we take a closer look at how to treat different types of muscle strains.
Common Types Of Spinal Muscle Strains
A spinal muscle strain occurs when a muscle is stretched beyond its normal limits during exercise, athletics or moments of acute stress. This overstretching causes microscopic tears in the muscle fibers, leading to pain and inhibited function. When these injuries develop in the spinal region, they are oftentimes categorized based on the specific location of the strain. For example:
- Cervical Muscle Strain – A cervical muscle strain occurs when muscles in the neck or upper back are overstretched. Oftentimes this leads to pain, swelling, stiffness, discomfort that radiates to your shoulders and difficulty moving your head and neck in certain directions.
- Thoracic Muscle Strain – A thoracic muscle strain occurs when a muscle in the mid-back is overloaded. This is the least likely area for a muscle strain to develop because the mid-back is generally stronger, more stable and better supported than your upper or lower spine. That said, these muscles can be overloaded when lifting heavy loads or when twisting and turning. Symptoms include pain, muscle spasms or inhibited range of motion in the middle spine.
- Lumbar Muscle Strain – The third type of muscle strain that we’ll spotlight is the lumbar muscle strain, which develops in your lower back. Poor seated posture or a sedentary lifestyle can slowly serve to weaken muscles in your lower back, increasing your risk of overloading these muscles with intense activity. Oftentimes lower back strains are categorized by pain, stiffness, muscle spasms, discomfort that radiates towards your buttocks and thighs, and inhibited lower back flexibility.
Treating Spinal Muscle Strains
Spinal muscle strains are incredibly common, especially in athletes and manual laborers, and fortunately their treatment course is pretty simple. The vast majority of spinal muscle strains can be effectively treated with conservative treatments.
Remember, conservative treatment doesn’t just mean “ignore the problem and it will eventually go away on its own.” You should be able to overcome the problem without surgery and possibly without even needing to head into a doctor’s office for individualized attention, but you’ll still need to be proactive in your treatment efforts. In most instances, you can overcome a spinal muscle strain with a combination of:
- Rest/Activity Modification
- Physical Therapy
- Anti-Inflammatory Medications/Pain Relievers
- Hot/Cold Therapy
- Muscle Relaxers
- Gentle Stretching
Resting the area for a short period of time before gradually taking on greater physical challenges in the form of stretching, physical therapy and controlled exercise is a great way to give the area time to heal before working to strengthen the area and restore mobility and function. A gradual reintroduction to athletics or physical labor is advised as you transition back to all normal activities so as not to overload the muscle while it’s still working its way back to full health.
Minnesota Spine Doctor – Dr. Stefano Sinicropi
More hands-on care may be recommended for patients who do not respond well to the above treatments, and this care usually involves corticosteroid injections, electrical stimulation or a minimally invasive procedure. That said, the vast majority of patients do not need this level of care for their muscle strain.
For more information about muscle strains, or for help treating a different spinal condition, reach out to Dr. Sinicropi and the team at Midwest Spine & Brain Institute today at (651) 430-3800.
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