Originally Posted by whwright

Upper back huh? Can you tell if it's a muscle ache?

At the risk of sounding terribly pessimistic, I hope it's not a disk issue.

In my short time reading this forum, I've seen many posts which say something along the lines of "trumpet playing is very physical." It may simply be that your back has become weak (forgive me if that sounds harsh or self-righteous), and you need some physical exercise to strengthen it. Just holding your hands in front of your face for a long time is very different than lifting and turning stuff because your arms are "cantilevered." Adding the weight of your trumpet could add just enough strain to cause your upper back to hurt after a while.

If I'm getting off-track, somebody jump in and rescue me please!

Wayne.