Left shoulder issue.

[Chief2112]

Only been playing a few weeks and I've been putting in quite a bit of time. 2-3 hours a day but NEVER in one sitting.

After about a 45 minute session yesterday I noticed my left shoulder was bothering me. Not sore from the strap but something that feels muscle related. If you draw a line straight from the middle outside of your shoulder to your neck my pain is right in the center of that line and a little behind it.

I have mainly been practicing standing up and I wear my bass up high (bottom of the bass hits around my belly button) and angled at about 45 degrees or so.

My strap is a cheap piece of crap so I'm going to replace that today. Is this kind of issue something that a wider strap can help alleviate? This has me a little worried because the last thing I want right now is to have something going on that will prevent me from practicing.

Just to be clear it's not muscle soreness like after you work out or used muscles you haven't used much before. It definitely feels more like a small strain or something.

Also it doesn't really bother me when my elbow is closer to my body and playing say the 7th fret or below. In the lower positions is where I feel it the most and this is something that is bothering me a little when I'm not even playing.

Any hints, clues or advice??

[4001]

My left shoulder has dropped by a few inches from thirty years of playing.
Dosen't matter what I do to 'straighten up', it droops back into position instantly.

I'm sure more back pain is on the way at some point.

[Rockmusician]

A dual shoulder strap might help.

Slider Straps Dual Shoulder Strap: Shop Accessories & Other Musical Instruments | Musician's Friend

[basswalker2004]

Originally Posted by Chief2112

Only been playing a few weeks and I've been putting in quite a bit of time. 2-3 hours a day but NEVER in one sitting.

After about a 45 minute session yesterday I noticed my left shoulder was bothering me. Not sore from the strap but something that feels muscle related. If you draw a line straight from the middle outside of your shoulder to your neck my pain is right in the center of that line and a little behind it.

I have mainly been practicing standing up and I wear my bass up high (bottom of the bass hits around my belly button) and angled at about 45 degrees or so.

My strap is a cheap piece of crap so I'm going to replace that today. Is this kind of issue something that a wider strap can help alleviate? This has me a little worried because the last thing I want right now is to have something going on that will prevent me from practicing.

Just to be clear it's not muscle soreness like after you work out or used muscles you haven't used much before. It definitely feels more like a small strain or something.

Also it doesn't really bother me when my elbow is closer to my body and playing say the 7th fret or below. In the lower positions is where I feel it the most and this is something that is bothering me a little when I'm not even playing.

Any hints, clues or advice??

May I suggest you look up Dr. Randall Kertz. He is a bass player and a very well known chiropractor who's given clinics and lectures at Victor Wooten's camps. He has a book out called 'The bassist's guide to injury management, prevention and better health'. It's not expensive and he addresses a lot of the things you mention.

[joshmat]

I'd recommend some shoulder specific stretching and exercises for the muscles that make up the rotator cuff along with a nice comfy strap. You can dig around online for the exercises and stretches. It's probably due to your recent ramp up in use of those muscles.

Basically, there are lots of little muscles in the shoulder that can get aggravated and cause you much grief if they're strained or a little weak. If one or more of them ARE weak and you begin compensating doing things more involved than playing bass you can end up with a "no fun at all" situation. Since it's causing you more trouble when it's further away from your body ("abducted"), I'd say to give the exercises a try. I recently had a shoulder repaired for a much deeper issue (SLAP tear); I assure you it's not something you want to do unless you have to.

I wouldn't suggest you get scared or worry to that level, but I would begin some preventative maintenance if you can.

The human shoulder joint is the most unstable joint in the animal kingdom and it is fairly common for people to injure it unknowingly and it can go south in a hurry if you're compensating in regular daily tasks. Similarly, you can "discover" an old injury from a ramp up in activity.

If you do exercise it, start with VERY LOW weight (1 pound) and high reps and work up from there. Don't overdo it and be sure to stretch often. If you need any specific tips feel free to PM me.

PS - I'm no doctor or physical therapist but have just recently recovered from shoulder surgery so I'm merely sympathetic to your issue and have some recent experience with shoulder trouble.

Best of luck!

[hernameisrio]

You said it's on the back of your shoulder...? Is it possible that you're hunching a little bit? My left shoulder is a piece of sh*t due to an injury in college that was never really dealt with properly, and I find that it sometimes hurts on the back of my shoulder when I'm not standing up straight. Does it get better or worse depending on your strap height? I'm not, like, an ergonomics expert or anything, but I literally feel your pain, so this is just speculation based on personal experience!