My shoulder is killing me!!

[Tunaman]

As the resident physical therapist bass player look to my rehab videos for shoulder strengthening... I do them myself for softball & bball & they work great as well as give them to my patients, if you have any questions feel free to PM too. I'm fine with that

YouTube - SaugusPT's Channel

Mike

 

[Jazzdogg]

I had a strap made for me many years ago - very wide, perhaps 4" and the most important part - a pad of sheepskin on the inside the width of the strap. This is the BEST!

Now I have a couple of nice Italia straps and I am rounding up the sheepskin for the inside.

Does the sheepskin hold in the heat during the summer?

 

[johnk_10]

i'm using comfort strapps on all of my basses, and all of my basses are 9lbs or less (most of them are around 8lbs even), with my lightest fender solid body being 7lbs 3oz. for me, at 57 years old, a lightweight bass combined with a comfort strapp is almost like not wearing a bass at all, and i can play 5 sets without any discomfort (and i have two deteriorated discs!). BTW, i use an inversion table for 5 minutes before and after every gig, which has also helped me ALOT.

 

[Billnc]

Does the sheepskin hold in the heat during the summer?

In my experience no. The wool is actually comfortable, I live in the humid south. My strap also does not have a 1" strap running through it, it is 4" with a 1' attached at the end.

 

[JimmyM]

Eh to each his own.
I've discovered that with leather straps, when they do break in, they stretch as well. And over time the weight pulls more on the "centerline" of the strap. Making a slight concave from side to side (width).
Thus actually making the pressure distribution far less than the original width.

I could make a leather strap 10" wide, and yes, for a while it would be wonderful.
But the strap buttons being centered on the material will cause elongation on that "centerline" if you will. And thus the total width of the strap becoms nothing more than usless flop.

The soft and supple straps are nice, but I have found that they actually start to feel worse quicker than others made out of thicker "harder" type leather.

Suer your leather strap feels great. It formed to your body and your body to it.

The Comfort Strapp I found takes the weight off a centerline and transferrs squarely onto the plastic piece and thus to the elastic part of the strap.
Problem is the elastic part isn't the best at holding it's shape.

A combination of the two would br IMO a perfect solution.

I've found there isn't a good strap out there to make holding it up easier.
Just gotta find what works for your body.

this is one nice thing about that levy's mss24 strap. it's very resistant to that centerline pulling.

 

[JimmyM]

Tell that to Skunk Baxter

sorry but i thought it was kind of lame that everyone else stood while he sat. if he had a leg injury, that would be one thing. i saw the specials last year and their bassist had to use a stool because he had just had knee surgery. that i understand. but skunk was just sitting because he didn't want to stand. i'm not into that.

 

[DougD]

this is one nice thing about that levy's mss24 strap. it's very resistant to that centerline pulling.

In all my years of playing i have yet to experience the center line pulling when using a wide leather strap. The exception being straps that have a 1 inch through the middle. Man, those things kill me. I hurt for days after using one of those.

 

[DougD]

I can see it happening to the suede or soft leather straps though

 

[darkstorm]

What kind of bass are you playing that weighs so much that you cant play it even with wide strap and be comfortable? Whats so special about this so heavy bass that you havent gotten rid of it in favor of much lighter wieght one? I'm only 5ft 6 inches tall and when I was in my best shape ever during military I weighed all of 128 pounds. Yet I managed to sling 12- 12 and half pound doublenecks for yrs as only instrument. And still had a doubleneck as recently as 6 yrs ago. (that makes for some 30 yrs haveing doublenecks allmost all the time as a main or secondary instrument) My current basses and guitars weigh less then that and are singlenecks. But still, if one cant manage a 12 pound instrument with wide strap they need to go to a gym and excercise like others have said imo. Or at the very least get themself a lighter weight bass or guitar they like the sound and playability of. Id still have doubleneck if I had one that sounded excellent on both sides instead of just on one side btw. If a 5ft 6 in tall 128 pd guy can manage em so can pretty much any other half in shape grownup imo.

 

[JimmyM]

What kind of bass are you playing that weighs so much that you cant play it even with wide strap and be comfortable? Whats so special about this so heavy bass that you havent gotten rid of it in favor of much lighter wieght one? I'm only 5ft 6 inches tall and when I was in my best shape ever during military I weighed all of 128 pounds. Yet I managed to sling 12- 12 and half pound doublenecks for yrs as only instrument. And still had a doubleneck as recently as 6 yrs ago. (that makes for some 30 yrs haveing doublenecks allmost all the time as a main or secondary instrument) My current basses and guitars weigh less then that and are singlenecks. But still, if one cant manage a 12 pound instrument with wide strap they need to go to a gym and excercise like others have said imo. Or at the very least get themself a lighter weight bass or guitar they like the sound and playability of. Id still have doubleneck if I had one that sounded excellent on both sides instead of just on one side btw. If a 5ft 6 in tall 128 pd guy can manage em so can pretty much any other half in shape grownup imo.

you are right. everyone is just like you and has your exact genetic makeup. and nobody has any injuries or anything.

seriously, cut it out, bro. what's it to you what anyone else does? if i want to find the lightest bass possible, i will. don't worry about it. keep your eyes on your own paper.

 

[Stumbo]

Based on my experiences recovering (took years) from a couple of back injuries, please consider the following:

1) Comfortable/well supported bed. I ended up with a memory foam mattress/foundation on an adjustable frame. Replace your mattress at least every 5-8 years or so. If you've gained/lost weight, maybe you need a different firmness? I read a study today that states men need from 6 to 8 hours of daily refreshing sleep to stay in good health. Women need 7.

2) Make sure your shoes are in good shape. I purchased a pair of new, light weight, trail runner shoes from Nike. Very supportive, good traction. Maybe performing in something like this might help. Wearing them every day helped me by stopping the transmission of vibrations that I got by using shoes that had much less padding. .

3) I also had custom formed inserts made to correct for discrepancies in my walk/balance. These can be moved from shoe to shoe, even wearing them indoors with slippers helps.

4) +1 on seeing a doctor/massage/acupuncture/chiropractor.

I visited them all. Got cortisone shots/pain pills at first to relieve terrible pain. After awhile I started physical therapy which really didn't do that much.

For my first back injury, the adjustable bed (put legs up to relieve stress on back)and new, supportive shoes did the most good.

For my second injury, the massage/acupuncture (11 months of over all massage and sometimes very site specific massage. Sometimes very deep treatment-I teared up many times-it had to be done ) and chiropractor (6 months of treatment-done after the massage/acupuncture) did the most good for me.

5) I also suggest in taking some OTC vitamins specifically D3 and a super B complex to assist your immune system and healing. It took about 6 months to get my levels up. YMMV. Getting lab work done to determine your current levels is the best thing to do.

FYI:The top D3 lab test level was recently increased from 70 to 100; meaning it's been recognized that we benefit from more available D3 in our system. Getting a bit more daily sun is helpful as well. YMMV. Getting sunburned does not help.

Also, the top B12 level is 1100. In my experience, getting my level up (545 to 1038) has really helped in reducing fatigue and increasing alertness.

As a quick fix , I'd seriously consider the stage bass stand. I suggest you paint it black and wear black clothes to conceal it as much as possible if you're concerned about that type of thing. +1 on getting a chambered bass to reduce weight, or, having your own basses chambered.

In my experience, your injuries can become permanent and disabling so sooner is better than later to get started on figuring out what to do and getting treatment.

If there's a teaching college nearby, you can get reduced cost treatments.

FYI: Here are a few links to previous TB threads on the topic:
1 Comfortable strap
2
3
4

Good luck.

 

[Tunaman]

Based on my experiences recovering (took years) from a couple of back injuries, please consider the following:

1) Comfortable/well supported bed. I ended up with a memory foam mattress/foundation on an adjustable frame. Replace your mattress at least every 5-8 years or so. If you've gained/lost weight, maybe you need a different firmness? I read a study today that states men need from 6 to 8 hours of daily refreshing sleep to stay in good health. Women need 7.

2) Make sure your shoes are in good shape. I purchased a pair of new, light weight, trail runner shoes from Nike. Very supportive, good traction. Maybe performing in something like this might help. Wearing them every day helped me by stopping the transmission of vibrations that I got by using shoes that had much less padding. .

3) I also had custom formed inserts made to correct for discrepancies in my walk/balance. These can be moved from shoe to shoe, even wearing them indoors with slippers helps.

4) +1 on seeing a doctor/massage/acupuncture/chiropractor.

I visited them all. Got cortisone shots/pain pills at first to relieve terrible pain. After awhile I started physical therapy which really didn't do that much.

For my first back injury, the adjustable bed (put legs up to relieve stress on back)and new, supportive shoes did the most good.

For my second injury, the massage/acupuncture (11 months of over all massage and sometimes very site specific massage. Sometimes very deep treatment-I teared up many times-it had to be done ) and chiropractor (6 months of treatment-done after the massage/acupuncture) did the most good for me.

5) I also suggest in taking some OTC vitamins specifically D3 and a super B complex to assist your immune system and healing. It took about 6 months to get my levels up. YMMV. Getting lab work done to determine your current levels is the best thing to do.

FYI:The top D3 lab test level was recently increased from 70 to 100; meaning it's been recognized that we benefit from more available D3 in our system. Getting a bit more daily sun is helpful as well. YMMV. Getting sunburned does not help.

Also, the top B12 level is 1100. In my experience, getting my level up (545 to 1038) has really helped in reducing fatigue and increasing alertness.

As a quick fix , I'd seriously consider the stage bass stand. I suggest you paint it black and wear black clothes to conceal it as much as possible if you're concerned about that type of thing. +1 on getting a chambered bass to reduce weight, or, having your own basses chambered.

In my experience, your injuries can become permanent and disabling so sooner is better than later to get started on figuring out what to do and getting treatment.

If there's a teaching college nearby, you can get reduced cost treatments.

Good luck.

OR YOU CAN FOLLOW MY VIDEOS ABOVE FOR FREE!

 

[frankie5string]

I tended to shy away from leather straps. Some of them had a nasty tendency to leave a dye stripe on my white shirt after playing.

After about 10 years of using one of the Comfort Strapps on my Ray5 I discovered didn't work well with my Lakland - it pulled straight down more than my Ray5 (which pulled outward - I wear my basses fairly high up). I used the CS for years on the Ray5 but I could barely get through one gig with it on the Lakland as the weight transfer was concentrating on the bungie-like strapping and the neoprene was just sort of tucking up during a gig.

I ended up buying a Levys padded 2.5inch strap - the padding feels like it's polystyrene packing material between the sewn up leather - giving the strap a thickness of about 1/4 of an inch. It's really nice but boy that strap took months to break in. In fact it's still a little "crunchy" around the shoulder bit - but I no longer have any shoulder strain. It was also one of the only leather straps I could find that was padded and would get short enough for a relatively high-riding bass.

 

[VictorG]

You can go to the druggist or supermart and find you a bottle of MSM capsules. They won't get ya high and such and they work wonders on aching bones. This may be just what you need. Or you can try that Blue Emu cream, it has MSm in it. I give my daughter 1500 mg daily for her TMJ that was so bad surgery was going to be the only fix. Her pain was so bad that narcotics did nothing for the pain. 2 years of taking MSM daily ,very little pain except on occasion that will go away within 15 minutes of taking a capsule and NO SURGERY
Give it a go, its inexpensive

 

[DougD]

you are right. everyone is just like you and has your exact genetic makeup. and nobody has any injuries or anything.

seriously, cut it out, bro. what's it to you what anyone else does? if i want to find the lightest bass possible, i will. don't worry about it. keep your eyes on your own paper.

+1000
I find it very sad and disturbing that most people have absolutely no empathy anymore. They think everyone should be like them, and if they are not to hell with em But watch how they think the world should come to their rescue when they start to have problems :scowl:

 

[Zeke3elevn]

a wider strap will work wonders!

 

[LowDown Hal]

There is a guy around town here that uses what appears to be a modified weight lifters belt instead of a shoulder strap.

Might be worth considering

 

[DougD]

the one that worked for me was called the Tri-strap.. It probable never caught on because it required drilling holes in your bass and installing strap locks.. its a three point system that attaches at the upper and lower horn on the face of the bass and one more by your tone controls.. It removes the weight of the bass and leaves you free to play as the bass balances on it own in is held in place by the strap..
You would be amazed at how much easier it is to play when all that is required is attention to your technique and not the control of the instrument.. don't know if they are still available but it certainly worked for me when I was in a desperate situation.

Do you have a picture of the tri strap? Or a web link? I sure would like to look that up.

 

[cchorney]

I have an old Music Man 4" loose weave strap. Breathes wonderfully and distributes the weight over a wide area. But... its still the total weight. So the weight will eventually cause nerve pinching, shoulder soreness, and back/neck pain from the asymmetry caused by the weight. To get rid of it you will need to take enough of a break to eliminate the inflammation and to build up the muscle which will help prevent it in the future. You'll need a licensed physical therapist for that. I would consider a lighter bass and a wider or more padded strap, but you may find repositioning your existing strap may help. And, sitting may help if that is possible. Moving forward, yoga, taichi, weight training to build up muscle mass, reduce asymmetry, and help keep inflammation at bay.

Good luck brother, where you tread I shall surely eventually follow.

 

[cchorney]

Found these on a google search. I don't have any person knowledge of them:

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