What exactly causes back spasms, the athlete's curse, and what can be done to treat and prevent them?
Few active individuals are able to escape completely from the pangs of back spasms, which are among the most common of all athletic injuries. Although they are nothing more than involuntary, intermittent, and sometimes prolonged contractions of the muscles of the back, back spasms can be quite painful and debilitating, and they can knock the 'weekend warrior' or the elite athlete completely out of action for weeks at a time.
Usually, spasms prey on the muscles in the lower back, rather than the upper regions of the torso. The origins of back spasms are diverse, but it is clear that they are often a response to an injury or inflammation of the spinal region. In many cases, the muscles of the back themselves are injured or inflamed, but the spine itself, including the thin cartilaginous discs between the spinal vertebrae and the ligaments which connect the vertebrae, may also be the source of the difficulty. Some back-spasm experts believe that spasms are a reaction by which the body attempts to immobilise the spine and thus prevent further injury.
Naturally, the injuries that produce back spasms might be caused by 'overuse' (chronic muscular exertion without adequate recovery) or by a single, traumatic incident. In the case of overuse, repeated rotational movements of the spine, such as the swinging motions required for baseball, cricket, tennis, squash, handball, racquetball, or golf, may eventually lead to an injury or inflammation of the vertebrae, spinal discs, ligaments of the spine, or spinal muscles themselves, particularly in individuals whose lower back muscles are functionally weak.
