I've been having some back pain when playing bass at a gig. Would an extra wide strap with padding help?
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Does a wider strap help with back and shoulder pain while playing?
- Thread starter 51PRI
- Start date
Yes, it could help by displacing the weight of the instrument over a wider area.
Buying a lighter bass can be good.
Different shoes can also help here.
Buy get an inversion table as well.
Buying a lighter bass can be good.
Different shoes can also help here.
Buy get an inversion table as well.
Last edited:
It depends on the exact cause of the pain.
A wider strap won't make the bass weigh less.
You should also investigate different adjustments - length, angle of the bass, where exactly it crosses your shoulder.
A wider strap won't make the bass weigh less.
You should also investigate different adjustments - length, angle of the bass, where exactly it crosses your shoulder.
I have found "not really". A lighter instrument helped. Better shoes with custom orthotics helped. Losing 40 pounds helped most of all.
A wider strap can definitely help with shoulder pain (as per the thread title) by spreading the weight over a wider area of the shoulder rather than digging into your shoulder in a narrow spot. However, I don't see why or how it should help with back pain: As @turf3 says, it won't make the bass weigh any less. I think the most important way to avoid back pain -- to the degree it can be avoided at all -- is more a matter of posture than anything else.
I don't want to be "that guy" that says work out, but...as we get older we all naturally lose muscle mass. With less tonic contraction in the shoulder muscles, your bass pulls your shoulder down, pulling on the nerves running from the neck into the shoulder which can cause shoulder and neck pain. Working on upper body strength may help.
Good chance it will end up digging into the side of your neck.
Riis
Riis
This is exactly my experience. I use either 3” at most. Honestly half the time I use rockabilly straps. I don’t mind the thin. Posture and shoes make a big difference.
Thing is, we’re all different so what works for one might not work for everyone.
That's because many play with the bass to the right.
Which puts the strap up against your neck.
Play with the bass to the left.
Then it's mostly on the shoulder.
I tried a 4" wide air-pocket strap. It helped a bit, but not that much. What helped was finding 1.5lb of weight to remove from my bass - changing to Gotoh lightweight tuners, ditching the high-mass bridge, letting my technician free with her router to remove wood under the pickguard, etc.
Playing the bass regularly while standing helps. You've got muscles to train in your back and shoulder. If you always sit down while practicing at home and suddenly have to stand for a couple hours on a gig you're gonna feel it afterwards.
This helps by distributing the weight between both shoulders. I use it for my 10+ pound 6er.
Yep, i’ve got very limited mobility due to crushed legs and nerve damage in my left leg and lower back, but I’ve never used anything but your basic 2” nylon seatbelt type strap and have never had any upper body issues. If I don’t move my feet or adjust my stance on the regular my left leg will go on strike and I’ll fall, but no upper body issues.
When I was experiencing troubles about a decade ago, I went from a plain-Jane, el-cheapo, standard issue, webbed nylon strap to a 4" wide padded leather strap. The strap change cut my shoulder pain significantly and helped out with some arm issues. I never had an issue with the wide strap rubbing my neck. It just felt comfier. I went for the same Levi strap for all of my stringed instruments. The baritone guitar, being lighter, got a 3" variation. My bari sax has a chest harness and also a cymbal stand cradle that can support the entire instrument weight if I'm having a bad day. A heavy bass weighs 14-odd pounds. My basses are less than ten. My bari-sax is 29lbs. I've had issues with collapsed vertebral discs since my mid-twenties. I won't use pain meds. The strap didn't help my back pain.
What did help my back pain was making a habit of making a habit of how I played the bass: standing, with good posture, occasionally moving to keep from locking into a rigid position, using good form, paying attention to my body (back, neck, wrists, shoulders)...and training. I had an inversion table and it made a difference in back pain in general. I don't have an inversion table now, but I do have a chin bar mounted in a spot where I can grab it several times a day and hang. It probably helps that I bang out a few reps here and there. I am not training for a competition, but I have learned what I need to do to avoid trouble. I do that. I also make a habit of getting horizontal for a while every day, whether for a nap or just to stretch out and relax. I stretch a little bit every day. The only time I have back or pain in general when playing now is when I make the conscious decision to be lazy and hold my body in some excruciating position while sitting and playing or slouching while standing and playing. Every time my back threatens to floor me (and it does, on average, every 3 years), intensive PT fixes me up. I finally learned that PT was not a solution to a problem, but a chance to learn the crap that you need to do in order not to go to PT.
What did help my back pain was making a habit of making a habit of how I played the bass: standing, with good posture, occasionally moving to keep from locking into a rigid position, using good form, paying attention to my body (back, neck, wrists, shoulders)...and training. I had an inversion table and it made a difference in back pain in general. I don't have an inversion table now, but I do have a chin bar mounted in a spot where I can grab it several times a day and hang. It probably helps that I bang out a few reps here and there. I am not training for a competition, but I have learned what I need to do to avoid trouble. I do that. I also make a habit of getting horizontal for a while every day, whether for a nap or just to stretch out and relax. I stretch a little bit every day. The only time I have back or pain in general when playing now is when I make the conscious decision to be lazy and hold my body in some excruciating position while sitting and playing or slouching while standing and playing. Every time my back threatens to floor me (and it does, on average, every 3 years), intensive PT fixes me up. I finally learned that PT was not a solution to a problem, but a chance to learn the crap that you need to do in order not to go to PT.
Yes, but what helps even more is the height you hang it at. Lower is worse, crank it up a little if you can.
Depends on which part of your back hurts. If it is in the lumbar area, odds are you could have straps and all sorts of padding and it won’t help a bit because it’s weight issue and the amount of weight will not change. Neck and shoulder pain is a different issue.
just a couple of ideas. One, change you posture when you are playing. Visit a “Good”chiropractor (not the ones that can cure cancer with daily treatments) for an exam. Explain all the details of your discomfort when and how they present themselves.ask for an exercise program and suggested stretches to prevent it happening again. Then , do them!
Best wishes
One year after retirement I had lost 45 pounds. I have no vending machines at home.
