I am about three weeks into my exercise program of running, weight lifting, hiking, etc. Well yesterday my hubby and I went kayaking. Before we started, I was helping unload the kayaks from the top of the SUV and my shoulder gave out (shoulder is fine). However, the kayak began to fall and hit the top of my leg as I grabbed it from smashing me to the ground. I felt a twinge in my back, which rapidly got better. But today at work, I turned slightly and got the worst muscle spasm and was unable to move for about ten minutes. Needless to say, I had to come home, and have been immobile all day with standard treatment (muscle relaxers, ibuprofen, etc.) This is the second time in 6 mos I have had this happen. The first time was my low back, and now my mid back. I can't raise my arms or flex my neck downward without more spasms. I am very disappointed as this will surely set me back from my exercise program for who knows how long. Has anyone dealt with this and what helped you? How long until you could return to exercising and what have you done to prevent it from happening again? Any help would be appreciated. I am considering going for acupuncture treatment tomorrow, as I saw it helped my boss tremendously when he had the same thing happen.

I suggest a physical therapist. They can show you proper back alignment/posture and exercises to strengthen your back and ways to hopefully prevent future problems. In most states you don't need a referral from a physician. Also look for one that has DPT after their name which means they've had some additional training (a doctorate in physical therapy).

I'd say that for now, rest and the medications that you're taking are good. Maybe a muscle relaxer might help?

Good luck. I know back pain is awful

Thanks ddc. Today it is actually better than i thought it would be. I am able to flex my neck down more without a spasm, and I can raise my arms and mostly bend over. I need to get with some kind of professional, but my husband's experience kind of scared me. They referred him to a therapist and the exercises they did made him worse. Well, since his doctor had not done the MRI first, it was not known at the time that he had 5 herniated discs and cord sompression. He had to consult a surgeon. I need to be careful and select someone knowledgeable so I can prevent this in the future.

Compression, not sompression, lol.

I'm so sorry for your pain! Just remember to limit your calorie intake during this time of non-activity. After 3 weeks of exercise, your metabolism is starting to adjust. You will feel hungry as you did when exercising, but not burning as many calories. It's a thermostat effect. So avoid eating too much.