Pain in my back. Posture help needed

If you can sit without pain when not holding a guitar then you can play guitar. You need to be really disciplined about getting the posture right.

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This looks easy and doable for me.

I’ll try, can I do it on my bed?

Well I thought I was already doing short sessions, I mean, ~30 minutes seems fine, right? :thinking:

You know what I need to test this, I hope it doesn’t hurt otherwise that’s GG for guitar :broken_heart:?

You can, although a mat would be better.

Not if your back starts hurting before.

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Thank you Lady, I’ll try the exercise :+1:
Could you explain with more details the core strengthening exercise you just mentioned? I didn’t get the “alternately turning your knees left and right towards the ground”

Can you share a picture of how you sit with the guitar? That will help us help you a lot.

I will be honest, I treat patients (neurology) all the time and the most common reason we resort to medicines and interventions is that the patient is unwilling to actually make the changes necessary to feel better. Yes, correcting bad habits requires change and that requires hard work and determination. Sorely lacking in our societies these days.

You have added a strap, but are you still sitting on a couch or bed?

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I will get the photo.

I’m trying everything, sofa, bed, chair and a puff.

Oh I think I should mentioned that years and years ago, I don’t remember clearly, a doctor said that I have a deviation in the spine. Could it be the culprit? It’s weird because when I was playing the piano (keyboard) I didn’t have any pain, I could sit upright and my spine didn’t hurt (if I remember correctly I could feel it but without pain). I sat in a slightly cushioned chair, the same chair type I tried with guitar. So the mystery remains :sweat_smile:

Alright I did the test, I kept my posture straight for about 30 minutes without the guitar, no pain, I think I just felt my back a bit. But I don’t know if I did it correctly, I was unsure if I should get myself straight by tilting my pelvis forward, being tense, or just get relaxed but straight, so I kept changing. Good sense it’s to keep my back straight but relaxed, right?

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Lie on your back and put your arms and hands, palms down, on the ground beside you. Bend your knees and put your feet flat on the floor. Than turn your knees sideways, both to the same side (kind of let them fall sideways) while keeping your back on the floor. Finally turn your knees back up, to your starting position. Do this first to the left side, then to the right side, then left again, … This will stretch your back muscles.

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Here you go, I have a video and some pictures :smiling_face:



The first one I’m very straight and tense, the second I hunched over and the third is my goal. No sucess for now :sad_but_relieved_face:

That is helpful. So the problem is ergonomics. You can google them, and below is a thread for a classical guitar, the principles still apply.

The main issue is that you are sitting in the hollow of your couch and your ischial bones (your butt) settle into a curve below your knees that tilts your pelvis the wrong way increasing the pressure on your spine and muscle and creating imbalance and pain. You try and correct it in the first picture, but that actually increases tension of your mid and upper back without correcting the pelvis. I am less worried about the slouching. I like to hug my guitar as well.

If you slide forward so you sit at the edge of the couch, you can improve this. You can try putting a board under the couch cushion, but sitting back like that still won’t be ideal, the edge is better. The couch still may be a little low and ideally a higher chair could be used, but not much hight. I am 5ft 6” inches (well I was 40 years ago…) and have short legs, a 15” seat lets me sit back, any higher, I sit on the edge.

The next part is learning what exercises will strengthen your core and stretch the appropriate muscles to recover and protect your back from the rest of your life (since you will correct your guitar posture so it won’t be a problem anymore, right?). Although I am qualified to give that instruction, it is beyond what makes sense here.

Remember, simply fixing the guitar posture won’t suddenly make all the pain go away. It will just make it easier and eliminate an aggravation. You need to rehab your back through careful targeted exercise. Trust an old guy, this isn’t the only thing in your life that has lead to the back issues you are experiencing.

Clip for guitar posture classical, but principles apply):

How I sit in the next post:

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Thank you! You indeed seems like knowing a lot of body posture.

I’ve watched this YouTube guy some time ago :smiling_face:

I tried siting on a chair, but its higher than the sofa, my legs don’t stay 90° degree and I don’t have anything to lift them. The legs gets more than “slightly down” as the YouTube guy said.

Very good and clean photos by the way.

Very good news, we’ve confirmed you can play guitar. Now it’s just a matter of developing some good habits. Maybe get another chair, doesn’t have to be anything special, a cheap chair from a second hand store will do just so long it’s at the right height.

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You are now wearing a strap so you do not need the 90 degrees angle in your leg. That is only important if the guitar is resting on your leg for support. The strap is now taking the weight of the guitar. Your next step is to find a chair that has a comfortable seat but is not too soft that you sink into it.
[ note - AI generated image based on me not finding a photo with exactly the type of image I needed ]

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The position in this photo is exactly how I’d like to be positioned, it’s perfect, isn’t it? The guitar is slightly pointed upwards. I saw on YouTube that this position is good, can you confirm? It’s not quite the classical style, it’s more of a middle ground, it must be better for playing?

It’s a very good position and is what Justin recommends. Some people prefer the classical position and that’s good too. Given that you are going through Justin’s courses go with the method he teaches.
How To Hold Your Guitar | JustinGuitar.com

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That looks great. You won’t achieve that on the couch, although sitting on the front edge will help.

Maybe you can find a cheap office chair that adjusts low enough (and has removable arms). I found most “guitar stools” and “drum thrones” too high.

With a strap, that position is very easy. I happen to dislike anything weighted around my neck, so I use a lift and moved the guitar lower bout between my legs. More classical, since I am (trying) to play classical as well. It is easier on my shoulder and works with a lift.

I think I would like the position in the picture even more, but it really needs the strap, it would be hard to get there with a lift.

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I struggled for a long time with getting my position where I wanted it. Eventually, I placed the guitar how I felt the most comfortable playing (which is closer to classical, but not with the neck quite so high, as my pictures above). Then I found a way to keep the guitar as close to that as I could and still sit pain free. For me, I use a lift.

You might try sitting up straighter and putting a thick book under your right foot. Or a lower chair. One thing I didn’t like about the strap, beyond the weight around my neck, was that it seems to lean the guitar back like that. If I recall correctly.

I so dislike things around my neck that I have bought custom collarless shirts for the last 25+ years. Just so no one at work could think I should be wearing a necktie!

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I have confidence that you can find a way to play without back pain. You may need to play short sessions and move around between them, but that’s a good idea anyway.

Find an adjustable chair and work the strap until you know where the guitar wants to be and how you can sit. Then using small pillows or rolled up towels, find a way to prop the guitar there without the strap if you want. Then, from the 18 trillion guitar supporting devices available, pick one that holds it there.

You can always just stand, or use one of those old kneeling seats they used to sell to prevent back pain. With a strap of course.

The full on classical position, with the neck angled way up there, a little awkward for strumming, just takes a different technique, it isn’t impossible. But there is no need to go that extreme. I like a middle ground, and I can strum fine. I don’t use a pick though, fingers only.

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