Injury keeps Laura Bush stateside

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- White House officials say first lady Laura Bush will not be traveling to Australia with her husband in September due to a pinched nerve.

Sally McDonough, a spokeswoman for the first lady, said she sustained the painful injury while hiking in Utah's Zion National Park in the spring of this year, ABC News reported Monday.

"The nerve is in her neck area and it is uncomfortable," McDonough said. The spokeswoman said Laura Bush is not taking any medication for the injury "that I'm aware of."

Mrs. Bush was able to accompany her husband to Africa in June, but White House doctors who have been administering her physical therapy recommended she skip the Australia visit because of the long flights to and from the country.

McDonough said the first lady phoned Australian Prime Minister John Howard's wife Sunday to express her regrets for missing the trip.

The spokeswoman said Mrs. Bush's domestic travel schedule should not be affected by the injury.