Objective To observe the effects of rolling manipulation with different durations on erector spinae muscle tonus and low back pain in patients with lumbar muscle strain and to explore the best duration for rolling manipulation in treating lumbar muscle strain. Methods A total of 75 patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomized into a 5-minute rolling manipulation group, a 10-minute rolling manipulation group, and a 15-minute rolling manipulation group using the random number table method, with 25 cases in each group. All three groups were treated with the same rolling manipulation, while the treatment time was 5 min, 10 min, and 15 min, respectively. The treatment was performed 3 times a week for 2 consecutive weeks. The muscle tonus of bilateral erector spinae and visual analog scale (VAS) score for low back pain were compared among the three groups before and after treatment. Results A total of 63 patients completed the study. Before treatment and after the last treatment, there were no statistical differences in the muscle tonus of the left erector spinae and right erector spinae among the three groups (P>0.05). After the last treatment, bilateral erector spinae muscle tonus dropped compared with the baseline in all three groups (P<0.01). Before treatment and after the last treatment, there were no significant differences in comparing the low back pain VAS score among the three groups (P>0.05). After the last treatment, the VAS score for low back pain in all three groups decreased (P<0.01). Conclusion Under the condition that the forward swing force is 50-70 N, the backward swing force is 20-40 N, and the frequency is 138 times/min, the 5-minute rolling manipulation can significantly reduce the muscle tonus of erector spinae and relieve low back pain.