Playing bass last night gave me a very sore back today. Is there any solution to this problem?

[Rocker]

[color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]Played bass for a few hours with my friends last night. This morning I was crippled and sick with a sore back. Lower back area. My bass is heavy, as are all basses, so is there a strap that goes around ones waist - a strap that pulls the guitar in close to the body to minimize the leaning over that is necessary to see the fretboard? Hard to describe what I am looking for but some waist strap that works in conjunction with a shoulder strap is what I need.[/font][/color]

[color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]I cannot be the only person who suffers from back pain after playing the bass. What solutions are out there to solve this problem? Thanks.[/font][/color]

[Cat Burrito]

A wider strap will distribute the weight more evenly. I think a few of us have suffered over the years.

[grandad]

http://www.hotroxuk.com/kinsman-kgs-guitarist-stool-and-stand.html?utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_medium=organic&gclid=Cj0KEQjwioHIBRCes6nP56Ti1IsBEiQAxxb5G16UC557XKXSM9PJmEHETRPvmHlN14IlgSdPBnfzPuoaAsgu8P8HAQ

I bought something similar to this and would use it if expected to stand for a lengthy night on stage with a rock band. I mostly play with a jazz quartet now though so I sit alongside the rhythm guitarist, much more comfortable and not so tiring.

Edited April 26, 2017 by grandad

[T-Bay]

Could you put your foot up on something to tilt the bass towards you so you don't lean over as much?

[TheGreek]

Happy Jack does a really good presentation about stretching, posture and Polates. I think there's a video from one of the SE Bashes here.

[TheGreek]

I'm sure I've seen something that resembles a golf bag strap with dual straps somewhere....google time...

Here: [url="http://www.slingerstraps.com/"]http://www.slingerstraps.com/[/url]

or this



but at $150 you might just want to "replicate" the design.

http://www.gruvgear.com/duostrap

Further research yielded this (speak to Molan) - http://www.bassgear.co.uk/product/slinger-harness-strap/

There must be a way to adapt something like this:

https://uedata.amazon.com/Strapz-Disc-Golf-Backpack-Strap/dp/B005X97YAC

Edited April 26, 2017 by TheGreek

[dmccombe7]

Gruv Gear Duo strap shares the load. Bass Direct do them.
Other than that make sure you move around and don't stand in one position like many bassists do. Even if its just a few steps to the side or forward and back to break the posibility of back ache. I find if i stand in one position too long my back aches a bit

Edited April 26, 2017 by dmccombe7

[TheGreek]

Experiment for a £5er

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Progen-Golf-Carry-Bag-Dual-Strap-/381979891692?hash=item58efc697ec:g:HCgAAOSwr~lYsDJ1

[JapanAxe]

You could work on minimising 'leaning over to see the fretboard' by working on your proprioception (often referred to, somewhat misleadingly, as 'muscle memoy'). By this I mean your knowledge of where your fingers are on the fretboard, based on memorising the feel of moving up any given number of frets. You may be surprised to discover how much you can do on the bass without looking.

[bonzodog]

[quote name='Rocker' timestamp='1493234764' post='3286844']
[color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]My bass is heavy, as are all basses
[/quote]

Not necessarily. There is a huge variation in bass weights. My Squier Vintage Modified 77 bass is incredibly light compared to my other basses

[chris_b]

[quote name='Rocker' timestamp='1493234764' post='3286844']
[color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif]. . . . I was crippled and sick with a sore back. Lower back area. My bass is heavy, as are all basses, . . . . [/font][/color][color=#34495E][font=Lato, sans-serif] What solutions are out there to solve this problem? [/font][/color]
[/quote]

Define "heavy" and actually no. . . . not all bases are heavy. Mine aren't and you don't need a heavy bass to get a good sound.

You've highlighted the problem. Get a lighter bass.

[4000]

Of course you could actually have a back problem; lots of us do. Prolapsed disc, trapped nerve etc? So you may want to look into that. But yes, a lighter bass certainly sounds like a good idea. As for weight, over the past 35+ years I've had basses weighing from 7lb to 13lb plus, and I've played basses well past either end of that spectrum. So they definitely don't all weigh the same. ;-)

Edited April 27, 2017 by 4000

[PTB]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1493245125' post='3286928']


Define "heavy" and actually no. . . . not all bases are heavy. Mine aren't and you don't need a heavy bass to get a good sound.

You've highlighted the problem. Get a lighter bass.
[/quote]

I've just acquired a Marusczyk PJ5 with a chambered body and it feels so much lighter than my Sadowsky, I can play it for much longer before the aches & pains arrive.

I agree with Chris B - try a lighter bass.

[margusalviste]

Actually it will be wize to change your body form while playing. Be sure that your spine stands straight and your head doesn't tilt forward. The other thing to think of is avoiding the wind and low temperature after you leave the gig. And of course lighter bass helps for sure!

[BassBunny]

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1493326020' post='3287574']
Of course you could actually have a back problem; lots of us do. Prolapsed disc, trapped nerve etc? So you may want to look into that.[/quote]

Spot On. The pain is a sign that there is a problem. You get the pain to try and prevent you from making it worse.It's the bodies natural defense mechanism.

Edited April 27, 2017 by BassBunny

[Mykesbass]

These strap and lighter bass suggestions may just mask the problem. I've just taken up Pilates to sort out my hunched shoulders and have been shocked by how badly out a lot of my posture is. I'd say get yourself checked out rather than buying a quick fix.

[chris_b]

+1

Do it all. . . . light bass, good strap, Pilates, reduce the size and weight of your rig and get a trolley.

[Grahambythesea]

Back problems are common particularly as we all get older. Several solutions:
1. Sit down to play.
2. Get a lightweight bass - super lightweights like the Hofner Violin or Danelectro; Spector NS shape has small body and weighs in around 3.5kg as do some MikeLull's or Marusczyk Elwood is made with a chambered body which reduces a Jazz bass clone to around 3.5 kg depending on the woods chosen.
3. Play a so called electro acoustic, they're not very acoustic but generally pretty light, but watch out for neck dive. You can hurt your back and shoulder if you have to hold the neck up at the same time as playing.

[Delberthot]

I was having a lot of shoulder trouble towards the end of 2014 so I bought a proper wide neoprene strap and changed my Stingray 5 for a Sterling 4 and added hipshot ultralites.

Also, as been said before, move around as much as you can as this shifts the weight from one part of your body to another.

I have also found that relatively light weight training with dumbells has helped my posture and I don't get the usual pains that I had been suffering from.

As you get older (I'm only 41 but have been playing for 29 years) you have to do as much as you can to make sure that bits don't start seizing up or falling off

Everything I gig with combined weighs less than the lightweight 15" cab from my previous rig in this picture

[URL=http://s927.photobucket.com/user/Delberthot/media/DSC03676_zps285a8a04.jpg.html][IMG]http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad111/Delberthot/DSC03676_zps285a8a04.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

Edited April 30, 2017 by Delberthot

[Muppet]

Don't discount playing style and bass position. Both need to be analysed to see if they are putting undue strain on any other body part. Often we assume back pain is down to lifting and supporting heavy stuff but everything is connected together. An unnatural arm and/or wrist postion can result in back pain for example...

[chris_b]

[quote name='Muppet' timestamp='1493578394' post='3289223']
Often we assume back pain is down to lifting and supporting heavy stuff but everything is connected together. [/quote]

Very true. You can get crippling back pain because the arches in your feet have dropped.

[Paul S]

Indeed. A few years ago I had a sore bunion joint on my right foot so ended up walking on the outside edge of my foot. This threw my knee, hips and back out of plumb and I had all sorts of issues. A simple latex toe spacer between big toe and the one next to it straightened the joint, everything else went back into place. Once it was cleared up I stopped using the spacer.

But I find it is not so much the lifting of heavy objects but usually the little silly things done unthinkingly that hurt my back, once the weakness is there. I have been locked up for days after twisting slightly whilst pulling out a tape measure, cutting my toenails (which I don't do any more) or even reaching round where the sun doesn't shine to dry with a towel after a shower (possibly too much information).

But I would also add that knowing about something isn't the same as doing it. I knew posture was important but didn't dream mine was bad, especially after years of going to the gym. After a recent bout of lower back pain I went to see someone different to my usual team of osteopaths - a sports injury therapist who recently opened a practice at my gym. She took one look at me and said it was all down to my posture - hips slumped forward, back rolled over, shoulders hunched - typical bass playing stance! This, she said, was causing my buttocks to tense (!) which then pulled on my hips which dragged my back open etc etc. After so many years of so many different people saying so many different things I wasn't hopeful but she actually made more improvement than anyone else. Strong fingers (she is a power lifter) breaking up the muscle knots wasn't much fun, though! However ever since finishing a 6 week course of treatment I feel so much more mobile. For the first time in about 15 years I can touch my toes and rarely get the pain in my back even after long rehearsals.

So my recipe for a pain-free lower back is lightweight gear and regular buttock massage

Edited May 1, 2017 by Paul S