Gidds:
Ok I did something wierd to my back. My spine has been bugging me for a couple of months and I thought I needed a new mattress maybe then awhile ago I strained some muscles carrying five gallon pails of water around. Carrying my gear around doesn't help either. Last night I was doing overhead presses with 10lbs free weights and something unpleasant happened between the top of my pelvis and the middle of my back on one side. Now about halfway down my back two of the lumps that I assume are my vertebrae are sticking out more than they ought to or at least they feel that way. I think I will be calling the doc. Not terribly painful but uncomfortable so does anybody have a suggestion for stretches or something that might alleviate the discomfort?
Gidds,
Anytime you press weight over your head, you give it a lot of leverage over your lower back. As MilitantMedic said, the vertebrae won't move. However, disc material can bulge or herniate.
There is no quick fix for this. Again, as MilitantMedic said, go see a doctor, but one that specialized in the spine. General Practitioners don't always go beyond treating the pain as they generally do not have the specialized training to treat disc injuries.
One important place I would differ from MilitantMedic is in the stretching. If you have a newly-formed posterior bulge in one or more discs, you do not want to hug your knees or do anything that would open up your lumbar spine. It will certainly relieve the pain short-term, because you are taking pressure off of the inflamation. However, this pressure is what is keeping the disc material from bulging even further. "Egging" your back can allow more damage to occur and is contraindicated until the initial healing process is completed and inflamation under control.
One method for pain relief used by many PTs and physicians is called the McKenzie method. I've already posted information on this recently, but it is summarized in a book called "Treat Your Own Back," by Robin McKenzie, available for around $12 from amazon.com and others.
Let me finish by reinforcing the advice to go get this checked out by a physical or PT asap.
Cameron