Back Pain!!

[d.shosty]

Hey all.  I've been getting SERIOUS back pain while practicing.  It now occus in the middle of my back, about from the bottom of my shoulder blades to about 3 inches down.  I've gone to a massage therapist who worked more on my shoulders (which I think feel better than before).  I've tried sitting higher, lower, closer, farther from the keyboard.

It's really just making my practicing unbearable - sometimes it starts to hurt within the first 20 minutes!!  And it only hurts when I practice, and it hurts a lot.

Does anyone have any sort of advice on the matter?  Has anyone experienced similar back pain?  I need help - it's killing me that practicing is so unbearable for me.

Thanks in advance

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

Perhaps you are sitting too close, or perhaps becoming tense? I also do occasionally experience pain, only in the lower back, probably because of my bad posture and a long time sitting.

I hope you get better. Sorry if I wasn't helpful. Check if you are tensing up, or sitting hunched over.

[leucippus]

I have lower back pain sometimes and I wear a back brace that really helps a lot.

However, because of how high up your pain is I'm thinking tension too.

For some strange reason it's a natural thing for a lot of people to tense up the shoulders when playing the piano.   I do this all the time and I even know I do it and I still can't stop doing it.  This will ultimately cause back pain (it's actually muscle pain) and possibly cramps in the back as well.

The only way to really alleviate it is to quite tensing up.  So far, I find it impossible to quite tensing up.  Especially when I'm trying to learn new pieces (which I'm doing all the time).  Once I know a piece really well I tend to loosen up more.  But when I'm first learning it I keep scrunching my shoulders up.  No matter how often I reminding myself to relax them they keep scrunching right back up again.  Moreover, I can't seem to play very well when they are relaxed.  It's almost like I have to tense them up just to play well.

I don't know what the answer is.  I don't understand what causes that to happen in the first place either.  Where does the urge to tense up the shoulders come from?  And how can a person go about making it stop?

I've tried doing relaxation and stretch exercises before practicing.  I've tired being conscious of it to no avail.  Nothing I do seems to help.  It's just a natural tendency that won't go away.

I've even tried sitting further away from the piano and so forth.  I still tense up in the shoulders. 

It doesn't really cause me any pain other than maybe a little bit of a stiff neck.  But I know that it's draining my energy and serves no useful purpose at best.  At worst it could actually be preventing me from playing better.

[nicco]

Again, i must suggest using a chair with back support. It worked wonders for me, and im sure it will have an effect on you. When you start feeling better you can gradually move over to a regular pianostool and see if its better. You will also have a better idea of how you need to sit if you want to feel good (Speaking of experience)

[leucippus]

Again, i must suggest using a chair with back support. It worked wonders for me, and im sure it will have an effect on you. When you start feeling better you can gradually move over to a regular pianostool and see if its better. You will also have a better idea of how you need to sit if you want to feel good (Speaking of experience)

I could see that helping lower back pain.  But upper back pain? 

If the pain is coming from tension I don't see how a chair with back support is going to help.

Also, for lower back pain wearing a brace would probably be better than a chair.

[d.shosty]

I have actually been making a conscious effort to relax my shoulders and I think that I am generally doing a good job resisting. I might still be tensing them up but certainly not as much as i otherwise would be.

thanks so much for your input

[nicco]

I could see that helping lower back pain.  But upper back pain? 

If the pain is coming from tension I don't see how a chair with back support is going to help.

Also, for lower back pain wearing a brace would probably be better than a chair.

strangely enough, i had pain in the upper region of the back and the back support took care of the problem. Dont ask me how. It just did

[cmg]

I agree with nicco on the use of a chair with a back.  Your upper back is probably tensing because of the tension and pain in the lower back.  The body seems to work in reciprocal ways like this.  So, relieving the lower back pain will allow the middle and upper back to remain more relaxed.  If you notice, when one part of the body experiences pain, the other adjacent areas seem to tense around it. Try a chair with a back for awhile.  The support helps.

[nicco]

That seems like a good explanation, cmg.

[leucippus]

Your upper back is probably tensing because of the tension and pain in the lower back.

There may be some truth to this.  I haven't been having lower back problems in a while so I haven't been wearing the back brace lately.  Maybe that's whats causing me to tense up.  I'll have to try wearing the back brace even when I don't feel lower back pain and maybe that will actually help relieve the urge to tense up.

I'll give it a try.

I'm reluctant to use a chair because I tend to move around on the bench a lot when I play.  A chair would kind of force me to stay put in one place.