I'm off my bike completely for a few days. I feel very grateful for the car.
Part I: I strained my lower back shoveling snow (how cliche) + butterfly drills 3 weeks ago. It wasn't very bad and it got better over the week. Biking was not a problem so I kept riding.
Park II: I had a couple long days in the lab standing for hours without any breaks. My back was awful after that and continued to get worse for a few days. I let one of the med students work on me (this is an osteopathic medical school) but it continued to worsen. Biking was a little uncomfortable but the only really painful difficult part was getting on & off the bike.
Part III: It started getting better again. I had gotten an appointment in the OMM clinic (another osteopathic treatment only this time an experienced board-certified DO instead of a first year med student!) and I kept the appointment although I was so much better. I thought walking laps in the pool would be good for it...no weight bearing, right? Well, I strained it again. Or maybe it was the OMM treatment?? And again it continued to get worse for a few days. When I woke up yesterday morning I could not stand up straight or walk! I had to crawl to the bathroom. :( Eventually during the day I was able to walk-- my husband thinks I walk like a zombie :D. So I made myself take frequent, short, slow walks throughout the day. By the end of the day I was walking almost normally.
Today it is much better, zombie-walking perhaps a little faster and longer before I have to rest. However if someone were taking bets on whether I'd manage to re-strain it yet again, I wouldn't risk my money based on my record so far! No biking, no swimming or pool walking, on running. Walking and standing ok for short duration only. I put that plan together with the help of Dr. Google. :D
I swear when this is over I'm going to go to town on core strength and have the strongest core in the world so that this never happens again! (Someone else told me he's made that same oath, does the exercises, then leans over to pick up a toothbrush and there goes his back.)