Getting old SUCKS! Pulled my back

[mward69]

Ok, you younger folks listen up...Back in my "dayz" as a long haired metalhead in the 80's, young and fit. I would slings amps since I had a truck. Our band jammed with amps on vol number "Jesus Christ" not a care in the world.....

Today, 41...half deaf and jacked up my back while playing I was in a cover band for 4 yrs, playing 3 hours gigs, jumping all over the stage... no probs.
Been out of the band about 6 months, and decided to run through some tunes to keep my chops up for an upcoming cover band, anyway...I lean over to adjust the EQ and BAM......freakin back is all jacked up now. I sit here in a happy little world of pain pills and beer banging this out on the laptop......

*Take care of you hearing, once it's gone...thats it
*Take care of you body!
You might look stupid or un-cool, but stretch before a gig...you will be better off later in life, TRUST ME

Now....get off my lawn

[prd004]

Getting old sucks, but as my brother always said "It beats the alternative"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shadow_FIX]

When I was 19, I was replacing both front axles on my AWD Eclipse. I spent all morning/afternoon breaking beastly bolts, maneuvering heavy suspension equipment around in tight spaces, etc and doing all with no problems physically whatsoever. Got out from under the car and reached for a tool on the ground and BAM my back was bad for three days. Remember I'm only 19...I'm like eff really? This early?

I'm only 21 now, but I still get my 100lb Agular 410 up and down three flights of stairs for all of my loud rock gigs just fine, but I know that a day will come when I won't be allowed to do that anymore.

That being said, I do stretch every time before I play, practice or performance. There are some real benefits to doing this...especially if the music is demanding (up tempo jazz, fast rock, metal, fast latin music, etc). As an instructor in college told me "We musicians are athletes of fine muscles." Just as an athlete would stretch and warm up properly before running a marathon, we as bass players especially should always stretch and warm up before playing for extended periods of time.

Good point to make, I hope your back gets better, but enjoy the painkiller/beer combo!

[ubersku]

My kind of thread!

54 in three weeks. Lifted my amp, numb sciatic - can't feel my heel now and I walk with a slight limp. Fought a cold this week, voicebox took a vacation at the gig Saturday night, a real laugher! Rotator surgery in two weeks. On the DL for 6-8 weeks. Missing 4 gigs. Yeah. Old(er).

[StyleOverShow]

Yeah, it hurts. Fell fly fishing a couple of years ago. Just getting back to normal.
Don't re-injure yourself. Strengthen your core area and it's all good. All this from someone who has 20 years on you.

[duff beer]

Hit the gym...I'll be 49 next month and can deadlift 350 pounds. Lifting my 410 cab out of the trunk of my car is no harder than taking out a box of beer

That being said...I sometimes almost feel my age

[Pilgrim]

60 here and still playing. I did tweak my back once, a bit more than a year ago. Immediately sold all my heavy cabs and amp, and got lightweight Genz-Benz amp and cabs. Best move I have made in years, and I lift more carefully than I used to.

[totallyfrozen]

Originally Posted by mward69

Getting old Being out of shape SUCKS! Pulled my back

Fixed.

[v-grooves]

I still deal with a bad back and gigging. The key is to be smart in all you do from a physical perspective. Lifting with your legs and a tight ab, or better yet, ask someone to lift for you. Alter positions often.....sitting, standing, leaning on a stool....that kind of stuff.

I am on my second back surgery and this time around the new doc got it right....feelin way better, but I could screw myself up real quick if I don't think before doing something physical.

It is a whole different world when you have a bad back.....it can change your lifestyle, health and sanity. I am slowly getting off of Roxy & muscle relaxers as I am starting to feel better. I am gigging more that I was a year ago and very happy for it. I did a gig 6 weeks after my surgery (spinal fusion/cage in my spine) and had everyone in the band chip in and load me in and out. I had a hard time getting over asking people for things like that.....and you probably will too, but when it comes to gigging or not gigging, no question, I am gonna ask for help.

Don't know where your back problem is, but if it is real bad and requiring surgery, best to go straight to a neuro-surgeon rather than an orthopedic. If you are not ready for surgery, sign up for physical therapy if you have insurance.....they can teach you so much and help you develop your core.

Pain meds only mask the problem and can cause all kind of kinds of other problems including trouble with loved ones and your spouse/friend. Be real careful there.....it can overcome yourself quickly and it is hard to see yourself doing that from the outside looking in. It is a nice buzz for a while, then you need more and more as your body build up the tolerance for our little friends. It can play games with your head and take you down a dead-end street. I was there and my family didn't like who I was back then.

I just left the studio around 12 tonite and I am feeling OK after 3 hours of work....it is a major strain on my back, but I learned to change positions often and take a break when needed.

I really do wish you the best of luck. If you need to talk about it, I am here and will share whatever lessons I have learned over the years.

Vince

[mward69]

The tweak I did on my back according to my chiropractor was a pulled muscle in the lower area. Don't really know how I did it, I leaned over to add some EQ while wearing my bass, which isn't very heavy {Ibby}
I used to do basic workouts like pushup's & situp's. I should join a gym, but the wife is the only one working right now.
As far as pain pills. I will admit I do enjoy the happy world they take you too, but am FULL aware they can take you down a hard road, my sis is a pill head. Growing up around that I am weird about taking pills. .....
So pulled muscle is the verdict.....I will give it a few days to heal, then start some basic exercises soon.

[Pillgrimm13]

getting old sux, bad back losing hair and listening to this crap kids are playing today seeing friends and music heros dying from cancer instead of drugs and drinking and now that puke from american idol is doing a musical bassed on songs i listened to as a kid and is raping them! way to get kicked when your down.

[paganjack]

These kind of threads scare me. I'm only 25 and I work out/surf constantly but I know someday hauling around my tube amps and huge cabs is going to be difficult at best. Til then, I'm gonna keep lifting with my legs, as they say (and wear earplugs pretty much all the time).

[Sizlack]

Been having pain in my lower back and all down my left leg for about a year and a half now...really kills me on gigs standing for hours on end. Been to three different docs and they all tell me its degenerative arthritis in my lower back...nothing can be done. I'm only 30, thought that crap didn't happen till way later. Looks to be something I just have to deal with.

[duff beer]

Originally Posted by mward69

The tweak I did on my back according to my chiropractor was a pulled muscle in the lower area. Don't really know how I did it, I leaned over to add some EQ while wearing my bass, which isn't very heavy {Ibby}
I used to do basic workouts like pushup's & situp's.

If you pulled a muscle bending over, your muscles are weak. Situps are hard on the back...drop them and lift weights.

If you don't want to do weights, do some pushups, chinups, and one legged squats. Those 3 exercises will hit most of your muscles, and the chinups will add some strength to your back.

[John D]

You young whippersnappers kill me. You think getting old sucks. Try being old. Oh...and quit smoking while can still breathe.

[Fretless5verfan]

I'm only 27 and I got hit by a truck on my motorcycle. Shattered a bunch of vertebrae, shattered my rib cage, broke my right wrist, and cracked my skull like an egg. Now I can barely play a gig without being beat, brain damage has screwed with my speech pattern, can't exercise, and I have a foot long titanium cage in my back that shoots pain up my entire torso if I turn too much...being young sux too

[Mike M.]

I'm 58. I sold my SVT about 6 years ago and I'll tell ya, that last trip up the basement stairs with that 90 lb. head about did me in!!

Thank God for the newer neo cabs! Bought a GK MB115 in February and carrying that up from the basement to my car was a breeze!!

Getting older can suck, but at least we're still on THIS side of the dirt!

[cableguy]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

60 here and still playing. I did tweak my back once, a bit more than a year ago. Immediately sold all my heavy cabs and amp, and got lightweight Genz-Benz amp and cabs. Best move I have made in years, and I lift more carefully than I used to.

+1000

I'm 40ish and last year I tweaked my back loading my SWR Goliath II (90LBS)into my van. I sold it two weeks later and Have since moved on to a fEARful 12/6 (38lbs). Best move I have made. I added another 12 cab so I can get louder than before and both cabs together are almost 30lbs lighter than my my old 4X10. Now I just need to gid rid of my rack mount amp for a new nicro and I'm golden. It may not look as cool as a SVT/810 but I'm an ugly old fart anyway so I don't really care.

[steveksux]

Its not always about how much you lift. Just moving the wrong way can set it off.

I threw my back out putting on socks one day. But I'm not the kind of guy who's going to live his life in fear of wearing socks. You gotta get right back on that horse.

Randy

[PopaWoody]

Originally Posted by v-grooves

I still deal with a bad back and gigging. The key is to be smart in all you do from a physical perspective. Lifting with your legs and a tight ab, or better yet, ask someone to lift for you. Alter positions often.....sitting, standing, leaning on a stool....that kind of stuff.

I am on my second back surgery and this time around the new doc got it right....feelin way better, but I could screw myself up real quick if I don't think before doing something physical.

It is a whole different world when you have a bad back.....it can change your lifestyle, health and sanity. I am slowly getting off of Roxy & muscle relaxers as I am starting to feel better. I am gigging more that I was a year ago and very happy for it. I did a gig 6 weeks after my surgery (spinal fusion/cage in my spine) and had everyone in the band chip in and load me in and out. I had a hard time getting over asking people for things like that.....and you probably will too, but when it comes to gigging or not gigging, no question, I am gonna ask for help.

Don't know where your back problem is, but if it is real bad and requiring surgery, best to go straight to a neuro-surgeon rather than an orthopedic. If you are not ready for surgery, sign up for physical therapy if you have insurance.....they can teach you so much and help you develop your core.

Pain meds only mask the problem and can cause all kind of kinds of other problems including trouble with loved ones and your spouse/friend. Be real careful there.....it can overcome yourself quickly and it is hard to see yourself doing that from the outside looking in. It is a nice buzz for a while, then you need more and more as your body build up the tolerance for our little friends. It can play games with your head and take you down a dead-end street. I was there and my family didn't like who I was back then.

I just left the studio around 12 tonite and I am feeling OK after 3 hours of work....it is a major strain on my back, but I learned to change positions often and take a break when needed.

I really do wish you the best of luck. If you need to talk about it, I am here and will share whatever lessons I have learned over the years.

Vince

Dude, you just hit a chord with me... back pain since 04, blown out L4/L5need discectomy (sp) Local to you too. Live in Riverview, but we gig around Pinellas a lot.

Drop me a line sometime, and good luck with your back. My bandmates try to help out with equipment transport like you described....