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Herb,   It's possible you've pulled a muscle. As we get older it's not such a hard thing to do, I've heard of people pulling muscles while straining on the toilet. If the pain gets worse rather than better over the next day or two then I would recommend seeing your doctor. But, if it begins to improve then it is probably a pulled muscle and can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks to fully heal. If it is a pulled muscle then you need to take care not to strain it again.   I once pulled a muscle in my back from a simple sneeze. It took a good 3 weeks before it felt back to normal. I've also heard that a common way people strain muscles is putting their socks on in the morning - muscles are cold and more easily strained without hard-core activity.   If it is a strain, then applying an ice pack for about 20 mins. every 4-6 hours should help reduce any inflammation.   Hope you feel better soon.   Elizabeth