What Causes Back Sprain?
Back sprain can come from several causes or factors. Common causes include:
Traumatic incidents
Sprains often result from falls, abrupt twists, or forces that push joints beyond their normal range and overstretch the ligaments.
Over-stretching or poor posture
Chronic over-stretching or bad posture, such as long hours sitting or improper lifting, can lead to sprains even without obvious injury.
Poor muscle conditioning
Weak back, abdominal, or hamstring muscles reduce spinal support and make ligaments more vulnerable.
Lifestyle factors
Excessive bending, obesity, and high-impact sports like weightlifting or football increase the risk of sprain.
What Are the Symptoms of Back Sprain?
Symptoms of a back sprain can range in severity, with the pain sometimes mimicking conditions like a spinal vertebral fracture or slipped disc with nerve impingement. They include:
- Pain: Dull ache or sharp shooting pain that worsens with movement.
- Cramping and spasms : Sudden, uncontrollable muscle contractions.
- Other symptoms: Reduced movement or function, such as difficulty walking, bending, or standing straight.
What Are the Treatment Options for Back Sprain in Singapore?
Conservative Treatments
If your back sprain is mild or moderate, it often improves with early non-surgical care. Treatments include:
- Rest Short periods of rest allow irritated ligaments to recover while gentle movement helps prevent stiffness.
- Pharmacological Treatment Anti-inflammatory medication can reduce swelling and manage pain.
- Physical rehabilitation Physiotherapy strengthens the supporting muscles, improves flexibility, and restores normal movement patterns.
Minimally Invasive Procedures
If your symptoms do not improve or continue to interfere with movement, minimally invasive treatments can target the real source of pain without the need for open surgery. At Singapore Paincare, we offer precise procedures designed to relieve pain at its origin.
Surgical Treatment
There is no specific surgery for back sprain. Surgery is only considered if imaging reveals another structural issue that requires intervention. Most sprains recover fully with non-surgical treatment.
How to Prevent Back Sprain?
You can reduce your risk of back sprain through healthy daily habits:
- Maintain proper posture when sitting, standing, and lifting
- Strengthen your core and back muscles through regular exercise
- Stretch regularly to maintain flexibility
- Use proper lifting techniques
- Maintain a healthy body weight
- Take short movement breaks during prolonged sitting
A Message About Back Sprain from Our Pain Specialist
Back sprain often starts as a simple ache, but it can quickly affect how you move, rest, and work. It may be triggered by everyday factors such as poor lifting technique, long hours of sitting, stress, or even disturbed sleep. In some cases, the pain can be severe enough to limit daily movement. While this pain may feel similar to a slipped disc or other serious spinal problems, strong pain does not always mean serious damage. Most back sprains involve strained muscles or ligaments and often improve with short rest followed by gentle return to movement. When pain lingers or worsens, stiffness and nerve irritation can develop, sometimes causing pain or tingling to spread down the leg. That’s why finding the true source of pain matters.
At Singapore Paincare, our Painostic® method goes beyond symptom relief to identify the real cause and guide a personalised, minimally invasive plan—so you can move comfortably, recover with confidence, and return to daily life with peace of mind.
