"The un-healthy price bass players pay"

                                                        By Anna Achimowicz / Head Rockstar                                          Physiotherapist at Performing Arts Medicine. (Bass Musician Mag. article                                          extract 2022.)

 

•                          So why don’t you have a full time rockstar physiotherapist on tour?

•                           “Budget”

•                           Almost every conversation with a tour manager starts like this.:

•                           But isn’t the bass players and whole bands health and prestine shape and                                    ability to perform the first priority here?

•                           “We get massage therapists on location from city to city…it’s ok. It works”

 

                          It’s not ok, and it doesn’t. Nothing more wrong about this statement. If there’s                                    anything            that the body of a bass player doesn’t want to tolerate is lack of                                 consistency. Random hands            every time, a generalised treatment, massage of                           soft tissue work, with absolutely no                                        knowledge of the                                       individuals needs, priorities that are the cause of pain or injury                                                             and what’s more important how they’re gonna about to perform that exact night                               on stage.

                           Heavy solid body bass or guitar strapped around one shoulder, piro, backflips,                                     metal cages and explosives, for 60, 90 or more minutes for weeks on end with                                   every night in travel and a mass of external factors. Let that just be the tip of the                               ice berg. Leading to all sorts compensation mechanisms in the body that bass                                     players hear, hiding under ’tendonitis’ or ‘bad posture’ or simple strain when                                     looking for any medical help. No such thing, especially since the body made to                                   move, where it’s anatomical elements are properly stimulated through repetitive                  movement in order to be healthy and perform it's function. So playing bass itself or                                       muscle ‘weakness’ isn’t the case either? We’ll get to that.

 

Nothing against massage or soft tissue work and their representatives, but musicians and stage performers, especially those touring bass players are like high class athletes, and their bodies undergo extreme strains and effort requiring specialised methods and techniques, that will not only be efficient in improving their playing, nerve responses, coordination and activation, but will especially address compensation and movement patters that are specific to what bass players, actually do in their stage show in respect to the environment, their style fo playing, surrounding and stage choreography, very physical or stationary way of playing.

 

The other element that is crucial is sustainability, a one off massage without a specialist being consistent with working on a players body and his or health with a directed strategy and controlled environment lead to potential injury risk, and although in the short term can provide a relaxation or regeneration effect, the underlying causes of the problem are left untouched. Increased blood flow and tissue overstimulation in some cases is not required, and can do more damage than help. Proper assessment of pain presenting while playing Is far more important for any symptoms while in static, sitting down, lying or sleeping. An individual approach to treatment when it comes to functional ‘lesions’ which is the vast majority unless a structural injury occurs, has place. It usually always starts at the pelvis, always has to do with improper nerve function and impulsion to the rest of the systems. Imagine a cable half plugged into your bass or amp, it has no chance to transmit the signal in it’s full 100% force. That won’t sound good. And last but not least, where it hurts is not where we should treat first. Pain is a very intelligent bio-feedback system and a way of the body saying, hey something is wrong, I need assistance here!

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Your Rockin' Physio for hire is:

 Anna Achimowicz.

• Anna is a Rockstar Physiotherapist, owner of holistic practice Performing Arts Medicine CMT, NCMT therapist, GYROKINESIS trainer, educator and bassist. Professional performing artist since 1996, choreographer, physical dancer and trainer. Artistic director of freelance Rock Dance Theatre rock and metal hybrid Rebel Crush collaborating internationally. A poli-ameri-Swedish coffeeholic. Specializes in chronic pain, injury management and prevention in music, dance and sports injuries fit for the XXIInd century artist especially debunking medical myths.