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Thread: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

  1. #1
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    Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    Fellow players: I'm 65 and in the last few months I've begun to have pain in my trapezius under the shoulder strap while playing. I prefer to play standing up. It is really a bummer, and it seems to be occurring sooner as time passes. Has anyone ever seen, heard of, or tried some kind of a brace or supporting mechanism upon which the strap can rest, the result of which is to spread the weight of the hanging guitar over a larger area than just the width of the strap? I have tried wider straps and even a small pillow under the strap, both only delay the onset of the pain. I know I could play seated on a stool, but I'm just not as good that way -- my arms are simply too long to play with the guitar resting on my knee seated.

    This is really troubling me as it's forcing me to reduce my fun playing time. I have other physical ailments that have forced me to reduce my golfing, so this new development is really depressing to me! I'll have to spend more time with the wife if I can't come up with something that helps!!

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    Forum Member cooltone's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    since you've already tried different strap widths with no relief, I have to believe that it's simply the weight of the guitar hanging there (over years of playing) that is contributing to your problem.

    I'm a big believer in chiropractic, reflexology or massage therapy (or any combination) as well as plenty of ibuprofen (to reduce swelling and pain) and plenty of ICE to the affected area.

    I have a third degree shoulder seperation, a permanent injury, to my left shoulder...I played a Les Paul at a recent gig (one hour set) and I was sore for two days afterward....I can relate to your issue (I'm 45 years old).
    "If you're cool, you don't know nothin' about it. It just is...or you ain't." - Keith Richards

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    Forum Member Cygnus X1's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    I play sitting down most of the time.

    Inspired by John Mooney, who performs on a kitchen chair so he can slap his heel on the stage floor to emulate a bass drum while he is playing.

    I would fabricate a double-cross strap to distribute the load more easily.
    Just don't choke yourself while trying though.
    Wait...we have these for our heavy industrial crane remote boxes:
    What about a back-mounted strap?
    Unobtrusive, holds weight very well, and it might work.
    I'll look and be right back.

    Arg.
    I have the info at work.
    It is located somewhere in here, couldn't find it:
    http://www.cattron.com/csa/mathandcranes.html

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    Forum Member curtisstetka's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    5 minutes of googling found this:

    http://www.idare2.com/index.html

    http://www.amazon.com/Slider-Straps-...0044789&sr=1-1

    It looks like there are products out there for this sort of thing. Hell, you could probably make one yourself pretty easily.

    Good luck, dude. But really, I think if you get used to it, you could still rock pretty hard while sitting down.
    s'all goof.

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    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    Yeah, I can't remember the name of the deal but a few years back a company was selling a harness deal to hold your guitar. It looked like it distributed the weight across the user's back and shoulders.


    (edited - the second link in curtis' post was the one I remembered.)

    Or you could switch to Chapman Stick, since they have a belt instead of a strap.
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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    Forum Member thegeezer's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    I am suffering the same thing, I used a wider strap and got the guitar off me as soon as the set was done. I also use a tung oiled finished Strat which are a lot lighter. It just gets worse. I have degenerative Disc Disease it doesn't go away.
    Jerry
    Last edited by thegeezer; 01-21-2010 at 06:41 AM.

  7. #7
    Forum Member curtisstetka's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    Good point, geezer - perhaps the guitar is overly heavy. Warmoth does make a chambered Strat body. I've got one and my Strat is extremely light.
    s'all goof.

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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    Your replies were all very encouraging. Thanks, curtisstetka, for the links. I should have thought to google the notion. It seems googling finds answers for everything imaginable. I'll be trying the double strap with perhaps wide pads with gel! One version of the double strap seems to get the weight out over the shoulder socket itself, which would almost completely avoid the trapezius muscle. I may try that one first. Many thanks, and best wishes to you all.

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    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    Looks like it lifts and separates.

    http://www.amazon.com/Slider-Straps-...0044789&sr=1-1
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    I've ordered it! Looking for the good lift and separation. Many thanks, players.

  11. #11
    Forum Member pauln's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    If you run the strap on top of your shoulder or close to your neck you are always going to be fighting physics. If takes very little pressure to displace something that stretches between two supports (that muscle, a guitar string, etc).
    I use a thin 1 inch wide leather strap, but I run it on the upper outside edge of my shoulder. The force is at about a 45 degree angle straight into the toughest part of the shoulder... hours of playing and I don't feel a thing.
    It just takes a little effort at first to learn to keep it from slipping off, might give it a try. It might even be easier to keep it there with a fat soft grippy strap.
    http://www.soundclick.com/bands/defa...?bandID=790872

    1988 Strat Plus
    2007 Deluxe Reverb
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    1980 Sigma/Martin DM-18

  12. #12
    Forum Member JM3's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    I have severe pain in my shoulder as well.no releif other than massage and a possible operation

  13. #13
    Forum Member NeoFauve's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    I had a heavy old camera that felt like a brick around my neck on a normal strap. I found a strap made or somewhat stretchy neoprene foam. It acted sort of like a shock absorber, and the camera just kind of floated without putting much pressure on my neck.

    I've seen a banjo player use something similar and he loved it.

    This strap employs a similar idea with more adjustability.

    Here's another variation.
    (Despite the super cool name, I am sadly not affiliated. ) The bass strap is extra wide, which you might prefer.

    The Dimarzio take on this appears to be made just like the camera strap was.
    "Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
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  14. #14
    Forum Member JM3's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    While some straps offer relief, the pain I have is chronic, and the weight of the guitar is directly affecting the pain
    Doctor told me I had damage on top of damage

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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    I wonder if yoga, exercise, or something similar might help? Yoga especially. There's no drawback to yoga at all:

    1. It increases your strength
    2. It increases your flexibility
    3. It increases your balance
    4. You're overwhelmingly outnumbered by HOT women in spandex

    What's not to love? It's very relaxing. All of the posing, twisting, torquing, and relaxing is great for your muscles and joints. It may seem goofy at first and you may think you'd be out of place but it attracts a wide variety of people with a wide range of ages and yoga skills. Even places like your local YMCA should have yoga classes.
    Got them Statesboro Blues

  16. #16
    Forum Member JM3's Avatar
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    Re: Sore shoulder muscle (trapezius) and playing

    as far as flexability and strength, I bike more than 10 miles a day to and from work. I live on a farm and chop my own wood and do farm chores. I have had massage therapy which offers relief temporarily and even had an native indian chant over me while he pressed muscles in the surrounding area, which really worked for awhile
    I tend to wear out massage therapists

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