Back Problems - Can't sit, can't Stand, can't play tge guitar

[KokoTele]

Find whatever position that takes pressure off the joint or nerves that cause you pain, and then figure out how to maintain that while you play. A recliner or chaise lounger chair may be a good bet.

Like others said, if you haven't started with your doctor, you should do that. You have an underlying cause that needs to be found. If they recommend physical therapy, try to find someone that practices manual physical therapy. When you're on the table it seems like laying hands and voodoo, but it's really the subtle manipulation of the soft tissue and joints to relieve stress and pain. I found one and they work wonders.

Also, try yoga (not kidding, it helps a lot), and drinking more water. The science of flushing toxins out of your system is a little suspect, but drinking water means that you're not drinking stuff that does cause inflammation and pain.

Speaking of which, I need to get on my inversion table and then do my yoga for the evening...

 

[colchar]

Just came to moan and ask for any suggestions. I've badly put my back out for a few weeks now and I'm feeling pretty useless.
One of the most annoying things is I can't stand up or sit down i.e. in a normal guitar playing position for more than a few min before the pain gets too much.
I've tried playing on my back but it's really not working too well.
If i get better I'm not going to take my back for granted ever again!

If anyone has been here before and found a way, I'd love to hear about it?

I have degenerative disc disease and my back went out on my on December 16th. It doesn't normally last this long, but it is still a mess. Moving yesterday didn't help.

Much of the time I can barely stand, much less walk. Sitting to play is no big deal because I can get comfortable, but I cannot get up after doing so because sitting is bad for my back (it compresses already degenerated discs).

I'm a professor and go back to work on Monday. I've already told my Associate Deans that I might be canceling a bunch of classes this term because of my back.

 

[El Tele Lobo]

Believe it or not, try lying down. Put your guitar on with the strap as if you were going to play standing up and then lay down in bed. Let the back part of the guitar (where the strap button is) slide past your ribs and rest on the bed. As long as you don’t have to read music or look at a video, it works great.

I also second the suggestion above to use an easy chair or recliner, or possibly a couch if you can find a comfortable position there.

 

[Blues Power]

Welcome to the club
2 days b4 a gig I start loading up on motrins.
By the 2nd set in leaning on the amp
by thr 3rd set I'm looking for a chair

 

[KokoTele]

You might ask your doctor if this is related to nerve pain. I have symptoms similar to degenerative disc disease and when my back goes out it’s nerve pain. Specifically, it’s antalgia, and taking a dose of gabapentin before bed every night keeps it in check.

I have degenerative disc disease and my back went out on my on December 16th. It doesn't normally last this long, but it is still a mess. Moving yesterday didn't help.

Much of the time I can barely stand, much less walk. Sitting to play is no big deal because I can get comfortable, but I cannot get up after doing so because sitting is bad for my back (it compresses already degenerated discs).

I'm a professor and go back to work on Monday. I've already told my Associate Deans that I might be canceling a bunch of classes this term because of my back.

 

[INFANT]

the day before my December 16 gig, my sciatica flared up again. Played the gig in severe pain and at the end of the night I could barely walk let alone load up my equipment. Bandmates helped me out and when I got home, my 30 yr old daughter came out to carry my Deluxe Reverb into the house and down stairs. I tried going to sleep in my bed but my back was too sore so I tried sleeping on my La-z-boy recliner. It was much easier on my back and legs. Over the next few days I found that this was a less painful position to play some guitar. The following Monday, I called my chiropractor as soon as they opened up and made an appointment for some manipulation/massage and some acupuncture. It made a bit of difference and I've been back a couple of times since. Yesterday, I got back on my treadmill for the first time since the flare up and although I still feel a bit of pain down the back of my leg, I'm a bit more mobile.

 

[colchar]

You might ask your doctor if this is related to nerve pain. I have symptoms similar to degenerative disc disease and when my back goes out it’s nerve pain. Specifically, it’s antalgia, and taking a dose of gabapentin before bed every night keeps it in check.

It isn't nerve pain, it is degenerated discs. I've seen the x-rays and the degeneration is at L5, S1, and S2 with the degeneration getting worse the further down you go (virtually no disc left at S2).

 

[Ted Keane]

I went thru many years of doctors,treatments,procedures,ect.The absolute worst people to deal with are pharmacists.I've had them look me in the eyes and lie to me.Many,many times.I do stretching every morning.And I love the inversion table.But my dog thinks since I'm hanging there with my arms dangling down,I should be rubbing his belly.Stretch,bath,inversion table,tumeric capsules.I wish you luck.It's tough being in pain all the time and everyone thinks it's not real.

 

[Marc Morfei]

Back problems are the worst. A few years ago I had a disc problem in my lower back. An epidural helped, then physical therapy.

Right now I am dealing with a chronic problem in my neck/shoulder that I have not been able to solve.

 

[Uncle Daddy]

GPs in the UK play for time, as it's the one thing that can make the most difference over a year. They tend not to rely on imaging as the results are often misleading; plenty of folk are walking around with significant "age related changes" without problems, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the pain. They tend not to recommend chiropractic, in part because of the risk of strokes, and in part because the long and expensive treatment processes are only doing what time does anyway.

Watch out for changes that involve any loss of function in bladder and/or bowel control; this may need urgent emergency treatment; cauda equina syndrome is serious and can be permanently disabling.

 

[Tommy Biggs]

I agree that seeing the doctors is in order, but gentle stretching and some motion often helps me more than being sedentary when I get a flare up.
Stretching and strengthening are the only way forward as I get older, sometimes I slack off, and then pay for it.

 

[Alex_C]

+1 on the inversion table. I messed my backup doing squats one time. I couldn't get out of bed the next day. I invested in a Tempurpedic bed ($4000) and an inversion table. I was able to walk after about three days. Dr said I needed surgery. I declined and used the inversion table for 20 minutes twice a day. Inverting was fairly easy, getting upright was excruciating. I did this for about two years, getting better over time. My back healed up really well. I sometimes have minor back pain. You can often rehab yourself, so don't despair. See a doc to get an idea of what is going on. Today my back is feeling the 320lb deadlifts I did yesterday, but it'll be fine by tomorow.

 

[jammybstard]

Bob Dylan switched to piano when he started having back problems.

(Yeah, I know. Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful here.)

Go to a doctor and find out exactly what's wrong. Don't mess around with it. Prescription NSAIDs and rest

Oh yeah I'm all over that. I'm picked my Naproxen up this morning and I'm Seeing the consultant on the 20th. I'm also lucky enough to be married to a Physiotherapist.

 

[kuch]

I feel your pain.

I herniated 2 discs in my lower back in the '80s and lived with progressive lower back/sciatica pain since then. I've had an inversion table for over 5 years and it only provided temporary relief. I exercise regularly and consider myself in pretty good shape. It got to the point where I couldn't walk 2 blocks without my leg going numb and having to stretch/bend over to go any further.
In '21, I went in for spinal fusion, where they put pins in my vertebrae and vertical rods to connect them. After recovery, it's been getting a lot better. I can walk a couple of miles these days and I'm shooting for at least being able to walk 4-5 miles a day.

Get medical help. Good luck

 

[jammybstard]

Thanks for all the replies, I see Im not alone . Rest assured I am going down the doctor/consultant route. We think its muscular and probably from years spent driving all day without enough breaks, For now I'm just trying to work out how to stuff other than lie around all day. Playing wise, I got the couch to myself last night and tried playing lying down with my left arm hanging over the edge of the sofa so I could work the neck properly, that worked pretty well actually. Managed an hour of practice that way. I might move an amp into the spare bed room and give that a try on the bed.

 

[KokoTele]

It isn't nerve pain, it is degenerated discs. I've seen the x-rays and the degeneration is at L5, S1, and S2 with the degeneration getting worse the further down you go (virtually no disc left at S2).

Degenerated discs by themselves won’t necessarily cause pain. The pain comes from how they affect the muscles and nerves.

All my vertebrae from L4 on down are degenerating.

 

[colchar]

Degenerated discs by themselves won’t necessarily cause pain.

They can when you are feeling bone on bone.

The pain comes from how they affect the muscles and nerves.

It can affect those, but that is not the only means through which it causes pain. It can cause pain without affecting the nerves or muscles. According to my doctor and chiropractor, my back shows no sign of nerves being involved.

 

[Ted Keane]

I stopped taking pain pills,mainly because of dealing with pharmacists(lowest form of human).I take Kratom.It's an herb.You can get it many places.I go to KratomCapsules.com.It really helps.And it's legal,too.

 

[ZackyDog]

I spent a lot of time on a thin, mushy hospital mattress during my cancer treatment/chemo days and developed some horrific back issues.
Believe it or not, an ice-pack (15 minutes, 2-3X a day) helped.

 

[Ted Keane]

And Voltarin gel and Bio-Freeze gel.I mix them in a roll on container to put it on my back.Maybe put some CBD in for a change.