In daily life, people often encounter small accidents such as using too much force to lift heavy objects, turning around quickly or sitting for a long time before getting up and bending down, suddenly feeling severe pain in the waist, being forced to bend to one side, unable to straighten and move. When encountering such a situation, people usually refer to it as "flash waist", and its medical terminology is called acute lumbar sprain (acute lumbar muscle strain), which is more common in the elderly, sedentary "office workers", and workers with high labor intensity.
How does acute lumbar sprain occur?
To answer this question, it is first necessary to understand the structure of the human lumbar spine. There are five lumbar vertebrae in the human body, each with an "elastic shock absorber" between them - intervertebral discs, and some ligaments and muscle tissue around the vertebrae. The activity of intervertebral discs, ligaments, and muscles jointly maintains the stability of the lumbar spine and enables the waist to flexibly and freely perform movements such as forward leaning, backward leaning, and lateral bending. If the waist suddenly moves or exerts force, and these tissues around the lumbar spine fail to respond quickly to body movements, or if the patient's waist muscles have poor strength and the stretching range exceeds the limit of muscles and ligaments, it is easy to cause soft tissue strains in the waist, and even muscle tears, ligament ruptures, and other situations. Some patients may not experience obvious discomfort at the time of acute lumbar sprain, but may experience lower back pain, difficulty turning over, and waking up the next day.
"Taking it for granted" can "pull out" lumbar muscle strain and lumbar disc herniation. Many people believe that "flash waist" is like "sprain foot", as long as it can still move, it is unimpeded, and they do not take "flash waist" seriously; Some people, in order to relieve their lower back pain, often use painkillers or injury activating oil on their own, and with a little massage, they can quickly get things done; Even if the symptoms of lower back pain persist, some people naturally believe that it will take more time for the pain to recover and do not need to be ignored. Little do they know that early and correct treatment of lumbar sprains can not only accelerate recovery, but also minimize the chronic back pain sequelae caused by "flash waist".
In the outpatient department, I often encounter patients with chronic back pain and inquire about their medical history. Many of them have experienced "flash waist" and continue to work without hearing it after experiencing a lumbar sprain. As a result, their lower back is repeatedly strained and overworked, leading to illness. Furthermore, some people mistakenly mistake lumbar disc herniation for "flash waist" or believe that it is caused by "flash waist" and do not seek medical attention in a timely manner, which delays the best treatment opportunity.
4 measures to effectively respond to "flashy waist"
"Shining waist" is not a small matter. The treatment and rehabilitation methods for acute lumbar sprains vary depending on the location and severity of the injury, and cannot be generalized.
Patients with mild lumbar sprains (which does not affect normal bending) can rest for 1-2 days while lying in bed. After the symptoms alleviate, they gradually return to normal activities. If the lumbar sprain is severe or relapses, the patient should rest in bed for 1-2 weeks to relieve muscle spasms and pain. When it is necessary to get out of bed and move around, a "waist belt" can be worn.
During the acute phase of physical therapy (within 72 hours after lumbar sprain), one should not blindly massage or massage on their own to prevent improper operation from worsening muscle and fascia tissue bleeding. Local ice compress can be used for 20-30 minutes each time. After the acute phase, local hot compress can be used to promote the absorption of blood stasis and blood circulation. When applying hot compress, it can also be combined with infrared ray, local massage, cupping, acupuncture and moxibustion and traction.
For patients with severe pain, external use (flurbiprofen Babu ointment, losoprofen sodium patch, etc.) or internal use (ibuprofen sustained-release tablets, celecoxib, etc.) of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs can be used. It is worth noting that the above oral medications have adverse reactions such as gastrointestinal discomfort and can only be taken for a short period of time.
During the acute phase of rehabilitation exercise, rest is the main focus. After the pain symptoms alleviate, patients should strengthen their lower back muscle function training, such as "Little Swallow Flying" and "Five Point Support Method", to enhance the stability of the muscles around the spine. At the same time, attention should be paid to the correct posture in daily life and work to avoid recurrent lumbar sprains.
Four types of situations require early medical attention
After "waist flashing", patients should seek medical attention promptly if they experience the following conditions:
(1)  Lower back pain is accompanied by symptoms such as pain, numbness, weakness in the buttocks or lower limbs, and even urinary and bowel disorders that compress the nerves;
(2)  Low back pain persists for more than a week without any relief trend;
(3)  Habitual "flash waist", affecting normal life;
(4)  The pain worsens and cannot be relieved by rest, accompanied by stiffness in the lower back in the morning.