Back supports - anyone here use them?

RockerRocker Frets: 4947
I suffer a lot of lower back pain.  This is unavoidable due to my physical disability.  It restricts my playing to seated most of the time.  I like playing while standing up.  A few songs later, I can no longer bear the pain so I have to sit down for a few minutes until the pain has abated.

I use a back support for gardening work and am considering using one while I am playing music too.  I experimented with strap lengths for my bass and have arrived at what I think is the optimum length for me.  Not too low or too high.

So does anyone here use a back support when playing guitar or bass?
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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Comments

  • maltingsaudiomaltingsaudio Frets: 3098
    Not whilst playing but use one to lump heavy boxes into venues
    www.maltingsaudio.co.uk
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  • stickersticker Frets: 869
    I have done when my back was playing up particularly bad , but was still almost crippled the next day ... when it flares up now I take a bar stool and hop on/off as required as this seems to help me the most .
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  • JAYJOJAYJO Frets: 1526
    I thought of wearing a back support as i've had a bad back for years. One specialist told me to wear one for gardening etc and another told me not to wear one as it will weaken the back. I take ibuprofen before i do any gardening now. Im currently unable to play standing as my back has flared up. This means i can play sitting down but after 20mins or so it gets painful (This is not always the case) I will struggle to stand upright so then i have to try and walk it off and straighten up.( I look a right twat) its debilitating to say the least and pedals are a pain to work with. I rely on ibuprofen and diclofenac on a bad day. Cycling and walking does help. 

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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    You could have a look at the Planet Waves Dare guitar straps, they aren't particularly expensive and are what Walter Trout and others with bad backs use to manage electric guitars. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4947
    Thanks for the suggestion @EricTheWeary but it is the 'standing' that is my problem. I can walk about town for a few hours - no problem. Stop and wait a few minutes for a bus or join a short queue in a shop and I am in trouble. Back wise that is. Simply taking a step or two forward and backwards eases the problem, a problem that is not made worse if my guitar or bass is hanging at the right height.
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    I have a back condition that usually flairs after an hour of standing or walking. I can typically do two sets without too much discomfort but have a tall folding stool I can take that allows me to put one cheek on the stool to relieve pressure and continue or sit fully later if it' a long night. 
    I'd much prefer to stand though.

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  • CabicularCabicular Frets: 2214
    I hurt with that too
    lots of core strength excercises help to stabilise your trunk.
    the extra muscle is better than any support

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  • RockerRocker Frets: 4947
    Thanks guys, I have a medical condition known as amputated left leg. I used a drum throne at almost standing height plus a back support when playing a three and a half hour outdoor gig last Sunday. I survived but was very tired after loading the kit into the car when we finished playing. I think adrenaline kept me going when we were onstage....
    Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]

    Nil Satis Nisi Optimum

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  • pintspillerpintspiller Frets: 994
    Jesus man! I didn't realise you'd only one leg. Kudos for sticking at the playing business - I'd probably have given up and just bit the bottle!
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