Guitar's Weight and Back

Alex-B-Broadway · 2012-06-19T11:16:26+00:00

Okay, well, I've been wondering about this for a while so I decided to ask. I have a mild spinal curve that's been hurting a bit more than usual lately and I'm worrying about what the weight of a guitar's going to do to it in the long run. Supposedly Kurt Cobain struggled with the same back problem and the weight of his guitars - especially because of the way he played - caused the problem to worsen (some people attribute that to his drug use, but that's another story). Most of the time I play sitting down, but it's not like I can grab a chair on stage at a metal gig - unless I put skulls on the chair and call it a trademark. (If Buckethead can wear a bucket...) I'm thinking of going to see a few doctors and asking if a type of spinal brace can be made just to keep my back supported while I gig. I don't see why that wouldn't work. Anyone here with a similar problem?

Alex-B-Broadway

Chad Adam Browne wrote

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Thanks! This looks like it could help to relieve the weight a little bit. ?

V8 wrote Hey Alex, sorry to hear about this painful issue - sounds fairly serious? +1 to Alan's and Reinhard's comments - pro advice is essential, although from the sound of it you have a compentent doc in your corner already. Personally I'm all for second opinions, especially concerning invasive surgical procedures!

I've had issues with left shoulder for years, so I've tried a variety of things. Lighter guitars, wider straps, different shapes of guitar so the weight distibutes differently, not playing guitar (heish, more difficult than it sounds!) and playing different instruments. I've also been to physio's, massage specialists and accupuncture practicitioners and done what reading I can find on 'guitar posture'.

I came to think of playing guitar as a Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) - much like swinging a golf club, bowling a cricket ball or sitting behind a laptop, right hand attached to a mouse- playing guitar isn't a completely natural thing for a human body to do...So I've been "learning to administrate my addiction" (heh, this is what my teacher calls it).

Eventually, I now jam/practice 90% sitting down, I regularly stretch before and after practice (back, shoulders, arms, wrists, fingers) , do some basic muscle building exercises for the trapezius (exactly like Reinhard mentions) and my playing posture is as important as fretting notes correctly, being in time, etc...And the moment I notice it's uncomfortable/painful, I stop, stretch out and perhaps consider doing something else.

The positive is, since I've been administrating my guitar playing - the condition has improved and I'm relieved, because I would like to play guitar for another 20 years and 20 years after that and 20 years after that! ?

I have to see a few doctors at least every six months to a year just to monitor how I'm doing, so I've met a few good and bad ones. Resting between practice sessions is important - as is resting when you're doing anything for an extended period of time, so I try not to push myself past what I know I can do. If anything hurts, I stop, be it my wrists or my back. I usually practice sitting down - and gig sitting down - but if and when I get to a point where I start and/or join a band it might not be practical to do that, so I'm trying to make things easier on myself for future gigs.

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