I know it’s common to say “I threw my back out” when referring to a back injury but what actually happens? Is it just a pulled muscle? And why if it happens once does it seem to happen again to people?
In: Biology
It’s just a general phrase for pulling a muscle, pinching a nerve, or aggravating a previous injury.
I don’t think there is a specific injury. I’m guessing most of the time it’s just pulling a muscle.
This is no scientific answer, but rather the way my doctor explained it to me the first time I did it several years ago. Basically, you make a movement your back muscles don’t like, and those muscles tense up so much (spasmed) that they lock in place. The spasm is actually an effort by those muscles to protect your spine. So, throwing your back out is a protective mechanism by your back muscles, but it happens so quickly, and it takes them so long to relax, that the resulting immobility is referred to as “throwing it out.”
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