Pulled back, can't move -- this sucks

So here I am, just shy of 24 years old, and as I stood from picking up a kleenex I had dropped this morning (which I have been using constantly thanks to a stubborn head cold), I suddenly had the most intense shooting pain in my lower back. I tried to take a step, and I couldn't. I tried to bend down again, and I couldn't. At first I thought it was just a little muscle spasm, so I gave it a few seconds and then tried to walk again. Nope. All I could do was lean on the counter and call for someone to help me. Now I'm in bed, and I can't even hoist myself up to a sitting position without wanting to scream in pain. Oh, and it hurts to cough -- which is great, since I have a cold. Going to the bathroom a half hour ago was an adventure.

It seems I've badly pulled a back muscle, but I don't know how. All I did was bend down to pick up a kleenex. I don't understand how something like this can happen to someone at my age...it sounds like an "old man" story my father or grandfather would tell.

At least I've got my iMac at the foot of the bed with Front Row, a bunch of TV shows, and a crapload of podcasts. And a laptop to browse MacRumors

Sigh...this sucks. Anyone else have back problems? What do you do to fix it? I've taken some pain reliever (not doing a lot of good) and iced it (not helping all that much either). If I still can't walk by tomorrow, I'm going to the doctor.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. Yes, I will try to remember to lift kleenex with my legs, not my back

I put an Icy-Hot patch on it a couple hours ago and it's really helped. I was able to get out of bed and shuffle around a bit. Standing and laying down actually aren't that bad, it's the in-between bits that hurt like hell -- rising to a sitting position, lifting myself off the bed or chair, lowering myself, crouching in any way, and sitting upright for more than 10 minutes.

Other than a brief trip around the house, I've been lying down all day and that combined with the ice pack and icy-hot seem to have helped a little bit. Some more rest will hopefully leave me functional for the weekend.

Hey everyone, thanks for the suggestions -- lots of different advice! I am feeling pretty good this morning, so I'll tell you what I did last night.

Late in the afternoon yesterday I started moving around a little bit. My fiance had to help me every time I wanted to stand up or sit down, but I could sit in a reclined position for a little while without too much trouble. I managed to shower, and the hot water felt good. We decided I could move around enough to go to a dinner party at a friend's house; we really wanted to go because we hadn't seen some of these people in years. Getting in the car was difficult, but once there it wasn't too bad. I wore another icy-hot patch for an hour before the dinner too, and that helped loosen me up a lot. I would stand for half an hour at the party, then sit for half an hour, then stand. I still needed help getting up and down, but after awhile I could tell I was doing better. When we came home that night, I still couldn't bend over but I was able to get into bed without any assistance.

This morning, I am much, much better. I can pretty much do everything without help now, but I still have to be careful. No sudden movements, no bending over. I have to bend with my knees. Still though, given that I was in incredible pain and pretty much completely immobile 24 hours ago, this is an amazing recovery.

I think what worked was resting it for a little while, taking some pain killers, ice followed by heat, and then making myself move around to loosen it up.