Vinnie,

First and foremost if you have any numbness or tingling in the saddle area (i.e crotch) or loss of bowl or bladder function go to the E.R. Other than that the trick is to distinguish between some type of mechanical back pain (i.e. muscle, ligament, etc.) or a more serious injury (i.e. disc) when considering the length of recovery.

Your symptoms are your guide. Do you have any pain, numbness or tingling in your legs? Or is the pain centrally located? The former is indicative of a more serious soft tissue injury and you can expect your recovery time to be greater. The elevation of your hip is caused by muscle spasm acutely.

You should follow up with your local sports M.D., chiropractor or P.T. A hands on examination is your best bet. Once you have a diagnosis and a plan of recovery you may follow-up here.

Hope this helps,
Mike Johnston