twinge

i hurt my back again yesterday.  doing what, you ask?  picking up wrapping paper.  yes, wrapping paper, which weighs about... nothing.

it wasn't so much about how heavy the items were (obviously), but how i went to pick them up.  in my frenzied state to get all the gifts wrapped and to be ready and out the door on time for my family's gathering, i tossed that whole "bend with your knees, not your back" stuff out the window.

and now i'm paying for it.

hindsight is 20/20, isn't it?

i knew the second after it happened -- i was straightening myself out when i realized i had come up at an awkward angle.  great, i thought.  initially, the pain wasn't as piercing as the times before, but with all the activity from yesterday and a short night's sleep, i woke up with the same stiffness in the same area (probably the same muscle) that i've come to recognize as a nuisance which will cost me a week to recover from completely.

you'd think that someone who's on the safety committee at work and who has contributed to the topics of ergonomics and proper lifting techniques would know better.  we even devoted a month this year to practicing back exercises to strengthen the muscles in the back in order to avoid injury!  someone should have been taking her own advice.  can you guess who??

i sure can.