Upper back pain

[pegdrums]

Hi all, hope you’re all well.

I’m a drummer, playing 20 years ish. Haven’t played kit on a few years after moving city though so couple of months ago decided to stop occasionally noodling on the bass and take it seriously.

I’ve play every single day now.
I stand, walk around when playing along to stuff. I sit if I’m working on something

last few days I’ve had pain in the upper third of my back. Example; If I touch my chin to my chest it aggravates it. Doesn’t feel like nerve pain, I have full ease of motion to in both shoulders. Neck is fine also.

I play the bass relatively high but not crazy.

what I’m thinking is
1) pain I from sitting with the strap on and looking down at the fretboard a lot

2) my bass (late 90s aria pro 2) has a small body and doesn’t rest on my lap while I’m sitting so strap takes full weight

3) the strap is as old as the bass, a thin leather job. Wider than a guitar strap but not much.

when I played tonight and sat very straight and looking forward instead of the fret board which helped a little I think.
Gonna try process of elimination but you all have significantly more experience so any thoughts would be much appreciated

 

[Malcolm35]

With what you told us I think you are on the right track. High up on your chest - same place sitting or standing seems to do it for me.

Good luck, perhaps others will add more.

 

[pegdrums]

Thanks for your reply. Which of the three possible culprits do you reckon it might be?

 

[Lobster11]

Thanks for your reply. Which of the three possible culprits do you reckon it might be?

As @Malcolm35 said, it is usually considered ideal for the bass to be in the same position when standing or sitting, and you seem to be doing that. In itself this shouldn't cause upper-back pain. (My sense is that for most of us, standing and playing for hours is more likely to cause lower-back pain.)

I also don't think it is your narrow strap. Most of us like a wide strap to avoid shoulder pain -- i.e., from the strap "digging into" a narrow part of the shoulder. A wider strap spreads the weight over a larger area of the shoulder. But I don't see how that would be related to upper-back pain.

So, I think it's a posture issue, perhaps (as you suggested) due to bending over to look at the fretboard too much. Sitting in a hunched-over position, whether working on a laptop or playing an instrument, could certainly cause upper-back strain. My guess is that you just need to do what Mom always said and "sit up straight" instead of slouching. One thing that might help is sitting on a different kind of chair or stool than the one you're currently using. For example, sitting on a soft couch or cushy chair is more likely to cause posture issues than sitting on a tall, solid stool.

 

[pegdrums]

Thanks for your reply. Yea I was just talking to a buddy there who also gets a bit of mid to upper back pain and he puts it down to posture.

Also I agree with you regarding the chair and posture. I was sitting in my drum stool to practice and its quite thick and soft. Great for a 3hr gig behind the kit but after even an hours practice I could feel the back stiffening.

Im going to leave the bass alone for a day or two and resume practice on a kitchen chair.

I already miss playing and it hasn't even been a day!! Why did I waste so much time playing acoustic guitar?!

I am going to buy a new strap. I know its not a fix all but it will help. My current strap is a 1mm thin, 2.5" wide 20 year old leather affair.

Looking at this: https://www.minotaurguitarstraps.com/bass-wide-straps/106-tribal-handcarved.html

7mm padding and just over 4" wide, should be more comfortable.

 

[Lobster11]

Thanks for your reply. Yea I was just talking to a buddy there who also gets a bit of mid to upper back pain and he puts it down to posture.

Also I agree with you regarding the chair and posture. I was sitting in my drum stool to practice and its quite thick and soft. Great for a 3hr gig behind the kit but after even an hours practice I could feel the back stiffening.

Im going to leave the bass alone for a day or two and resume practice on a kitchen chair.

I already miss playing and it hasn't even been a day!! Why did I waste so much time playing acoustic guitar?!

I am going to buy a new strap. I know its not a fix all but it will help. My current strap is a 1mm thin, 2.5" wide 20 year old leather affair.

Looking at this: https://www.minotaurguitarstraps.com/bass-wide-straps/106-tribal-handcarved.html

7mm padding and just over 4" wide, should be more comfortable.

That's a beautiful strap and I'm sure it will be much more comfy.

One more thought: Leaning over to see the fingerboard is a habit you want to break yourself of anyway, whether it's the cause of your posture/back issues or not. For starters, try to just use the position markers (probably dots) on the top/edge of the neck for visual cues: That's precisely why they are there, so you don't have to lean over to see the fingerboard itself. Eventually you'd like to break the habit of having to look at your left hand much at all, but this is a good first step that might help you maintain good posture.

 

[pegdrums]

That's a beautiful strap and I'm sure it will be much more comfy.

One more thought: Leaning over to see the fingerboard is a habit you want to break yourself of anyway, whether it's the cause of your posture/back issues or not. For starters, try to just use the position markers (probably dots) on the top/edge of the neck for visual cues: That's precisely why they are there, so you don't have to lean over to see the fingerboard itself. Eventually you'd like to break the habit of having to look at your left hand much at all, but this is a good first step that might help you maintain good posture.

Cheers. Yea that's sound advice. I heard Victor Wooten practices in the dark....how true that is I don't know but it makes a lot of sense not to get in the habit of staring at the board. Sure Stevie manages quite alright!

 

[Lobster11]

Cheers. Yea that's sound advice. I heard Victor Wooten practices in the dark....how true that is I don't know but it makes a lot of sense not to get in the habit of staring at the board. Sure Stevie manages quite alright!

Well, when you're playing with a band you need to be able to watch other players for cues or other kinds of nonverbal communication, and to look out at the audience (if there is one), so being able to play without (constantly) staring at your left hand is worth working on if such things might eventually be in your future. (In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that I am too often guilty of this myself, and often get chided by my band for missing some improvised cue when I wasn't paying attention!)

 

[MattZilla]

If the pain persists after any experiments you’ve already hinted at being ready to try, you might have your doctor recommend seeing a physical therapist.

They’ll give you exercises which will release and strengthen both the affected muscles and the muscles causing the issues. Even if you’re already doing related core exercises, there’s possibly room for them to dial them in to be more effective which is where three to six sessions with a PT really can be great.

 

[arbiterusa]

I heard Victor Wooten practices in the dark

My marching band teacher taught us that trick back in the early 1980s. Wanted us to memorize our music. It worked like a charm. When I started playing fretless I did the same thing at home. You will get your intonation in order pretty damn quick that way.

Apparently Victor was in his high school orchestra so he might have gotten the idea there.

 

[Killing Floor]

Every person is different except for me, I am the same.
If I am not paying attention practicing (seated) I tend to hunch over and even not looking at the neck much I still will curve a lot. My solution is pull the bass high enough that it's not relying on a thigh to hold it in place. Or better yet, stand. But like I said, everyone is different.
When I play seated I do try to keep my back and neck in line.

 

[fhm555]

…My current strap is a 1mm thin, 2.5" wide 20 year old leather affair...

not so sure. I’ve been using 2” wide seatbelt straps forever and never had any back problems.

 

[g-dude]

Don’t forget that stronger muscles tend to be muscles that are less prone to pain.

Aside from everything else that has been suggested, consider doing exercises that will help your upper back/shoulders

- rows
- shrugs
- high pulls
- lat pull downs
- overhead press

Don’t forget to exercise in the opposing direction as well, because muscle imbalance is a thing and it can create problems too.

 

[thunesBARROW]

You could try practicing in front of a mirror so you don’t have to bend your neck to see the fretboard. This has saved me from pain in the past. Also maybe look for a more comfy strap. I added a pad to mine and it helped.

 

[Wfrance3]

If I touch my chin to my chest it aggravates it

Sounds like Schistosomiasis to me...
Sorry, couldn't resist. If you are not familiar with the reference, see below if you are so incline...
"WKRP in Cincinnati" Frog Story (TV Episode 1981) - Richard Sanders as Les Nessman - IMDb

As for a genuine contribution, I have a similar deal and have gotten good results from:
1. Play bass with the instrument as close to the same position seated, as standing. Adjust strap accordingly.
2. I don't play a bass over 9 lbs. Ever.
3. I play with my neck at a 45 (ish) degree angle away from my body. Not with the bass perpendicular to my body. It provides easier and better access to upper frets and is generally more comfortable.
4. Don't bend your plucking hand wrist at an extreme angel. a bent wrist can contribute to a sore back, it's all connected...
5. Check out whether your fretting hand is in a death grip-strangle posture on the neck. you should think in terms of dropping your fretting hand in such a way that if someone were to try to squeeze a banana (even a small one if your hands are small) between your fretting palm and the bottom of the neck.
5. I have a job that requires me to do computer work. My mouse is on the top of my desk so that my mouse-ing hand/ arm are parallel to my desk with wrist straight, not bent.

Just in general, pay attention to your body when you play. If you stop and notice, you may be doing something that caused some part of you to be clenched or tense. It's easier to overlook than you think. If you spot something that's not relaxed when you play, maybe adjust to accommodate.

 

[lfmn16]

If I touch my chin to my chest it aggravates it.

Don't touch your chin to your chest.

Seriously though, I had similar issues practicing guitar and started holding my instrument classical style. I also practice looking straight ahead instead of directly at the fingerboard and I noticed that playing too many speed drills back to back made me tense up in my shoulders and upper back. I used to do speed drills for an hour, changing the drills every 10 minutes, now I try to limit it to no more than 10 or 20 minutes each one hour practice session. I do not hold my guitar neck at that extreme of an angle, but I don't hold it horizontally either.

 

[IvanDrummer]

Massage? Chiropractor? Physio? What stuff do you do when you're not playing bass? Is your lifestyle/job sedentary because that may have an effect too.... or perhaps even a good swim session may help too..... or the stuff mentioned above with the mouse and all that..... don't mean to be a smart ass, but that's where I'd start.... hope you feel better and that you'll be playing again very soon.....

 

[MrLenny1]

I'd start with a good strap then watch your posture.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

At one point ibwas having some pain, definitely not nerve, then the inflammation pinched the nerve... So don't assume that nerves might not be involved.

One option might be one of the walk up stands. The K&M ones are expensive. Thomann has something less expensive, although with less stellar reviews. I've mostly seen it used in videos where an electric guitarist needs to access an acoustic for a short while. Sure, you could use a pedal to emulate the sound, but it doesn't look as good.

 

[-Asdfgh-]

I'd start with a good strap then watch your posture.

My issue was posture when seated.