Playing bass with Ankylosing Spondylitis... Anyone got any tips?

TL;DR I'm buggered, confused, suffering from a condition I know damn all about and advice would be great!

As stated in the title, I've just been diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS). After a few months of testing, and 5 years of chronic back pain and stiffness since the age of 18, this wasn't exactly the result I wanted at 23 but nevertheless, it's one I have to accept. X-rays have shown 5 partial fusions, with a possible 6th and I am now waiting on MRI results to confirm this further. My sacroiliac joints aren't in perfect shape and my left hip is apparently a fair bit worse than my right, but again I will know for certain once the MRI's come back.

I've maintained that it will not stop me doing what I enjoy (mainly playing bass, work and hobbies etc) and if it does come to the stage where I can no longer do these things unassisted, then I'm prepared to adapt to new ways of going about things. I'm in a pretty reasonable job that I enjoy, and is keeping me mobile and if needs be and the pain gets unbearable then there are opportunities within the company to move to a less physical role.

Mainly though, it's just put me in a bit of a hole and I was looking for any wise words/advice/encouragement from fellow sufferers and if anybody has any suggestions on how to deal with the pain (other than Tramadol and Diclofenac, I'm already on those) while playing, supports or whatever then that would be much appreciated! For what it's worth I'm playing a '74 Rickenbacker 4001, weighing 11lbs which I find reasonably light for an hour or two and I've just bought a Yamaha BB235 weighing 9.5lbs.

P.S if this post is in the wrong place, please feel free to move it.

Cheers guys,
Michael

 

Never been a fan of sadowsky stuff really. I like what works for me, Ric mainly and the Yamaha is nice too cheers for the recommendation though!

 

The trickiest bit about my circumstance is that when it comes to basses I'm terribly fussy. I don't dig hofners at all, they seriously aren't my thing. A lighter bass may be the answer in the end though!

 

Wow, thanks for the comprehensive reply there mate! I haven't actually been in contact with the Rheumatologist yet, as they want to see my MRI scans first befire deciding what treatment route to go down. Ive been to physiotherapy frequently enough, none of it provides any relief though unfortunately! There's a lot of stretching, lifting and bending in my line of work and i find that just moving around helps to alleviate the worst of the stiffness!

 

I've pretty much had the same posture for the last 7 years of playing, I like keeping the bass almost horizontal, keeps me balanced nicely! Good shout on the barstool if things get a bit strenuous though. I've tried a lot of things, including weightlifters belts around my lumbar and most none of it has really worked!

 

Good to hear of your experiences against these things! I did look into the Plant Paradox thing a few years ago, but found it to be unsuccessful and a bit placebo in my instance. Not to say it doesn't work for some people but it's not for me. I've lost 7 stone since almost 2 years ago and feel great, i was up at 26 stone and started to diet after realising how unhappy and unhealthy I was. Now I'm at 19 stone, which is about perfect for one of my hobbies (highland games heavy events) but now thats probably out the window i might start dieting again!

 

I'm hoping that I'll notice the difference between the Yamaha and the Ric over the course of a gig next weekend, it's almost 2lb lighter and a lot more ergonomically friendly! Thanks for the input!

 

I feel your pain there, in my first job i was regularly clocking 70-85hr weeks as a welder. Now ive managed to cut down to around 50-60 with overtime as a paint sprayer, less strenuous and better pay too

 

I can't comment on my exact bass as it's currently being shipped home, but the demonstrators I've tried in stores balanced very nicely for a 5! They definitely lean towards being body-heavy but not so much that it's uncomfortable. Everything near or less falls where I'd expect it to for a 6 foot tall player with long arms

 

Google is your ally.
Then: 26 stone/364lb/165kg
Now: 18.9 stone/264lb/120kg

So about 2 large bags of dog food, or 9 of my Rickenbacker's worth of weight lost