Have you ever had a leg cramp in the middle of the night or while on your early morning run?  Leg muscle cramps are very painful and usually can be worked out in a matter of minutes.  But imagine having a muscle cramp or muscle spasm in the muscles of your back–muscles that are much bigger than leg muscles!

Lower back spasms can cause excruciating pain.  A doctor explained it to me this way–When a muscle spasm starts in your back, the natural reaction of your muscles is to tighten to protect your spine.  This tightening can cause more spams which cause more pain and the cycle repeats itself.

Once a cycle of back muscle spasms starts, it is difficult to break that cycle.  To stop the cycle will usually involve muscle relaxants and bed rest for a few days.