Originally Posted by Av8tor

Last Wednesday I had a great leg workout. I finished up hams with some Straight Back Deadlifts. I used a lower weight and really focused on form. Earlier that day I had dug 4 trenches and wheeled a bunch of dirt around in a wheelbarrow. Obviously, with all this work, I had put a bit of strain on my back. The next day, I was watching my kids. I bent over and picked up my 20 mos. old (25lbs) and crumbled like a little girl. The pain was excruciating. I momentarily lost both sight and hearing and began to sweat buckets (I was later told is a reaction to the pain). I went to the ER and got an x-ray which came back negative. They gave me a shot of pain/muscle relaxer, gave me a couple of prescriptions for the same and sent me home on bedrest. They diagnosed me with lower back strain. I was told if I hadn't improved by Monday to call my Dr. for an MRI and some Physical Therapy. Well after a couple of painful days, I started to improve so I passed on the MRI and Physical Therapy. It's now been a week and I can walk with little to no pain and I can just feel a little pain in my back when I bend. Here's my questions:

1) Has anyone ever had a similiar injury?
2) How quickly should I get back to lifting and running?
3) What exercises should I completely avoid from here on out?

Thanks.