Trox, I have treated folks with similar conditions for years. Like some others have said, ice is best during the first 72 hours. Think about this. If you are watching sports and someone get hurt, you don't see them on the sidelines with a heating pad! Ice is mother nature's anti inflammatory medicine. I have my patients to ice for 20 mins on/40 min off as many times as the possibly can for the first 3 days. After that, they do a contrast of ice/heat for the next 3 days. After one week, the heat onLy. It sounds as if you have pulled a muscle but hard to tell without an exam. There are some muscles back there that attach to the vertebra and the disc. If these muscle are in spasm, they can mimic a herniated or bulging disc. Other the counter antinflamatory meds such as ibuprofen or naproxen can help as well. One of the biggest things you need to do, once over this episode is to concentrate of stretching your hamstrings. There was an article that came out around 2005 that said 78%+ of all low back pain could be eliminated through proper hamstring flexibility. The hams cross 2 major joints (hip and knee) and kinda acts as a return spring to help us stand back up. When we bend over to pick stuff up the hams usually limit how far we can go. When we push further, we end up pulling our backs. Pm me for any more info. Be glad to help where I can. I have been a practicing Chiropractic Physician for 15+yrs. I cant walk on water, but most get better with conservative care.