Coughing - pulled muscle in my chest and back (very painful)?

I do this a lot during the winter, unfortunately. The best thing to do, when you're coughing (once you've pulled something already) is to brace the painful area with your hand- push on it, right when you're coughing. It seems to make it less painful. Advil is an antiinflammatory, and it helps a little bit, too. Other than that, it's a good six weeks or so until it totally feels better.