The human has a sore back

My back has been aching for a while. It started way back when I first got Willig and rode him a couple times before his hives got so bad I basically didn't ride him again for two months. And then when I started riding him again, the back pain came back. At the time, Bob said it was because he's such a big mover, and I hold myself pretty rigid, so it was jarring my back.
It actually doesn't hurt so much when I ride him now, but sometimes it does, and sometimes it hurts when I ride Mercury. Willig's little tantrum on Saturday, combined with that first day of holding his leg for 20 minutes bent over the bucket, has made my back hurt pretty bad the last week.
So today I went to the chiropractor. He said that the muscles are like rebar - they're totally inflamed and knotted up, and he can't do anything until they relax some. I have to stop jogging (the jarring), and I'm supposed to take it easy on other activities. He said he wasn't going to ban riding yet, but it will depend on if I can get the muscles to relax. Worst of all, I have to wear this dorky back brace, which granted, feels pretty nice, but makes me look like a little old lady.
I haven't decided if I'm going to ride the rest of this week or just take it off. Since Willig isn't rideable and Mercury does ok with breaks, maybe I should give my back a break and hope I can ride again next week once Willig gets his shoe back on.
And great news! Sam is going to do a partial lease on Mercury. I am so happy. She loves him, he loves her, and I love that I can relax a little about the amount of attention I'm giving him.