Michelle, somehow I missed your earlier description of your back injury. I did the same thing when Moonglow was two years old - I had taken the changing table down and so had a pad on the floor for changes. I made the mistake of bending to pick her up then rising with her in my hands - and I got that same painful lockup you describe. I lay where I was for a few minutes then crawled to the phone - and when my husband got home we loaded up for a trip to the emergency room. We hadn't been in town long and didn't have a regular doctor. I commented that I hated going to the emergency room for this, and they'd just put me on muscle relaxants and he'd have to stay home to watch a toddler. There was a minor emergency clinic near the house, so we tried there.

THAT WAS THE BEST CHOICE WE COULD HAVE MADE. All caps for emphasis. It was staffed with Osteopaths. If you can find a DO go see him/her. I was in that exam room and he said that he didn't get much opportunity to use some of the DO skills and had me lie on my side. He pushed on my hip and pulled on my shoulder and I felt at distinct "pop!" and then I turned on the other side and he pulled and pushed again "pop! pop!" and it was back in place. My lower back was still tender feeling, but I was home on motrin, not on high-power painkillers until it popped back into place by itself. It's like a medical doctor with a chiropractor touch.

I suppose a substitute for a DO would be a chiropractor, but I don't go to them so I can't make any recommendations.

SRS