There are many interconnected and overlapping structures in your back, including spinal nerves, intervertebral discs, facet joints, and large muscles. Back pain is the body's way of alerting us that something is wrong with one of these parts. A person who suffers back pain can suffer from neuropathic pain, bone, cartilage, or muscle and ligament pain.   Muscle strains are painful injuries or irritations of the muscles or tendons that attach them to bone. In addition to a strain, you may also suffer from a sprain, a similar injury to the ligaments, the tough tissue that connects bones.   It is unusual for muscles or ligaments to suffer pain following a single traumatic event, although it can happen when it is caused by an awkward movement, such as falling down. Overactivity or repetitive physical stress, such as lifting, twisting, or stretching the lower back, are the most common causes of non-specific muscular strains.   The pain you experience as a result of strained muscles is similar to that of a sore or tight ache. As opposed to an irritated nerve root, a pulled muscle would not feel hot, tingling, or electric. The pain will subside only after you are relaxed and resting, as the tension and spasms will be relieved. It is most likely that the pain would flare up when you get up and move again. In the case of muscular back pain, it would be concentrated in a particular area, for example, the lower back.