Sore Back

Hi guitar tricksters :-)

I am having a bit of an issue with a sore back when I practise. I'm on an acoustic, and sit the guitar on my left leg, playing righthanded whilst looking at my left hand to make fret movements. I am trying to sit front on with both feet on the ground but my back gets so sore only after 10min or so.....

Is this a common thing? Will it go away?

p.s. I have no pre-exsisting back injuries or problems, this thing is a one off..

Danielle

I've seen some guitarists put a little block or tiny foot stool, like maybe 3 or 4 inches high, under the foot of the leg their guitar is resting on. I don't if it would help you but you could give it a try.

Ask your doctor about simple stretches for your back. They can do miracles for back pain

Hi Danielle
I have read where the block is used, but I believe the block or foot stool was 6".. It maybe more of your sitting posture in that you are leaning over your guitar to see where your fingers are going... I know of this problem because I am still trying to over come this bad habit that cause me back pain.. Also I have seen where a straight back chair is used...

Here a view of foot stool, but it doesn't give a height
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GtrFootRest/

A 2 or 3 pieces of 2x4 nailed together would probably work fine...

Good Luck,
Gordon

If you can I would try playing with the guitar on your right leg instead...when it's sitting on your left leg your back is twisting just getting your hands into a playing position. On the right leg the body is in a more natural position and it could be the twisting that's causing the pain...

I play with the guitar on my left leg also even though I am right handed. My back will start getting stiff if I am sitting for long period of times. While you are playing make sure you have good posture. You should not be slouched over since this can cause back problems. Also one thing that has helped me is have a comfortable chair to practice in. This has allowed me to practice for longer periods of time and not feel discomfort in my back. These are some things that have helped me so they may be worth trying out.

I tried to play with the guitar on my left leg, it was more comforable for my picking hand but I had back pain too because my back kind of twist. Anyway, I always play on my right leg, it feels more comfortable to me. Like Dan said, being slouched cause back pain too, in my case I had pain in the sternum region too because I sloched over the guitar for long period of time. Bottom line, I would say, too, to keep your back straight.

The left leg position is usually used to play classical music as it helps strech your left hand fingers across the fretboard, but unless you are, I suggest that you switch to the other one. Most of classical players do use a stool to make the posture more comfortable. Good luck!

Hi Danielle,

I used to experience lower back strain myself. All very good suggestions listed above. This helped me:

1. Play with the guitar on your right leg if you can
2. A little foot stool for your right let will help also so that you dont slouch
3. A comfortable chair that allows for good posture. Putting a pillow on the chair to support your back (particularly lumbar area) will help great too.
4. The other thing for me was playing relaxed. If your fingers are tense trying to hit the chords correctly, then the rest of your body (particularly your back and neck) tend to tense up also. A good 5-10 minute warmup to get the fingers loose helped me in this area.
5. Practice for 15 or 20 minutes and take a 5 minute break. You can also alternate practicing sitting down and standing up.

The best exercise for immediate relief if your feeling pain in your back is to lay flat on your back (on a hard surface like the floor) and pull your knees to your chest. You can also just lay flat and make sure your legs are elevated...whatever pain you had will have immediate relief.

Back pain sucks especially when your trying to do something you really enjoy. Hope this helps you.

TCR

Danielle,

All suggestions are great, but push the neck away from you so that its at a 30 degree angle. The problem we beginners have is that we need to see what we're fretting which causes us to pull the neck close so that it's almost horizontal with out bodies. Pushing it away from you may relieve the pain, if not eliminate it alltogether. It did for me, but you have to learn to play by feeling and not sight, which is the ideal and goal for many of us anyway. :)