Your back is probably the most used part of the body.
No matter what you are doing, your back is probably doing a good amount of the work.
Therefore it is no small wonder that back pain is so prevalent across the world. If you suffer from back pain, you are probably desperate for ways to relieve it and if you don’t suffer from back pain, you should do everything in your power to prevent it.
Just follow some of these tips and change your daily habits to take some of the stress off of your back. You will be glad that you did when you have a perfectly healthy back thanks to your changes.
Hardly a day goes by when you don’t need to lift something. And for the working musician, especially if you are a drummer, guitarist, bassist or keyboard player then you are likely to be lifting heavy instruments, amplifiers and speakers at least a few times each week.
For these situations, there are a few really easy rules to remember. Always remember to bend your knees, and from a squatting position lift the item.
Make sure that your back is arched to provide maximum power, and the item you are lifting is held as close to your body as possible. Lifting heavy items frequently causes injuries and back pain, and surprisingly, even though most people know how they SHOULD lift something, proper technique is still mostly ignored when the time comes to get the job done.
So if you use the same stance that is utilized by athletes in many different sports, you can provide great protection for your back.
It may sound obvious, but think about whether you still really need to be lugging such a heavy piece of equipment around. New advances in technology now mean many players can get the same quality sound from much smaller, compact amplifiers. Even investing in a lighter, smaller quality practice amp for rehearsals will reduce the burden on your poor back.
As far as footwear goes, it is best to wear flat shoes. If you need to wear heels for whatever reason, then try to find heels that are fairly short (less than an inch). High heels cause your body to be unnaturally balanced, it creates tension in your calves right down into the soles of your feet and this causes unnecessary strain and tightness your lower back muscles.
Another problem is sitting in the same position for extended periods of time. Now we all know that it is important to practice your instrument but in a similar way to working a day job you should get up as often as you can to walk around and stretch your muscles.
If you are required to travel a lot then use this same method of getting up and walking around whenever you can. The human body HATES being in a seated position for too long, in fact, believe it or not, some research now even suggests that sitting down is the new smoking. If you can get into the habit of dividing up your seated practice sessions and work life into a maximum of 20 minute sessions it will make things much easier on your back and your body in general.
You should always pay attention to your posture when you are sitting, standing, or laying down, adjusting your position just slightly can lead to a improved back and neck health and also help prevent headaches.
Be conscious not to learn forward into your instrument, relax your shoulders and keep them from rounding. I put my hand up for being the worst culprit sometimes - I look in the mirror and realise I’m almost bent over double leaning into the fretboard of my bass!
It’s also good to always be on a firm surface when you are sitting or laying down. A firm mattress will provide you with good back support. Sleeping on your stomach is not a good idea since it can stretch your back for the entire duration of sleeping. The best way to sleep is on your side if possible. When sitting down, it’s ideal to have an ergonomic chair to sit in so that your back is supported, straight and flat.
If some of these things have been unfamiliar to you, then you should really start taking steps immediately to fix that. Back pain is extremely unpleasant, and if you want to continue to be healthy throughout your life then you will need to make some new habits today to keep your back supported and healthy.
Talk to your doctor, physiotherapist or exercise physiologist to get personalised advice based on your body type and the current status of your back. Find out what you need apart from the things that I have gone over here. Trust me, you'll be glad that you did!
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