well, i've never had problems; but for popping the back (which helps a ton) get someone taller that you to bear hug you from the back, pick you up about a foot, and then drop you to a sudden jolt.... thats what i do atleast

You're not supposed to crack your back because it releases spinal fluids that you need.

Just sayin'.

Who told you that about cracking your back? My friend, who is a doctor told me that when you crack your back or any knuckles it's actually pretty good for you and you release nitrogent that gets trapped in your joints after a while. The myth about cracking causing arthritis and what not is completely false, if anything it can prevent arthritis. Besides, why does my father's chiropractor crack my dad's back?

Anyway, back on the topic, our freshman bass drummers always wanted to lean fowards when they stand for a while, but we always told them to stand up straight and didn't let them take off their drums. Of course when the BD came around he told us we couldn't do that, but it was too late then, they knew they weren't allowed to, and now they don't have a problem with it. Hey, maybe their spines are shaped like coat hangers, but they don't complain.

When I started marching tenors it felt MUCH heavier than when I played bottom bass. Anyway, I used to practice sitting down with the drums on the floor and I used to take them off at practice, but now I practice standing up and I play through the pain, and I rarely feel the need to bend over or take off my drum now. Especially since I march snare, its like cake now.

Ummm torn ligaments on both sides of my back and jammed vertebrate and nerves in my lower back from my tenors (55pounds)

In general, if you don't have any pre-existing condition (scoliosis), as long as you use good posture, just wear the drum snugglebunny to get used to it, and eventually you can wear it all day with little to no soreness. Posture is crucial, though.

Last year my back was killing me because I wasn't used to the weight of the bass drum yet.

After about a month I started to get used to it and it hasn't really ever been a problem for me since.

I never really could do anything about it hurting besides sleep.

When I started marching bass 4 this year, I would always go home with back pains. As the season progressed, I noticed that drum became easier to carry. If the pain doesn't get better like that, it could be because your carrier is out of place, and another important thing is to not lean back, because all the weight from your drum goes directly to your lower back muscles. It feels better for the first few seconds, but it hurts even more than before later.

Ask other people whether you're standing up straight or not. It sounds ridiculous, but sometimes you won't even realize you're leaning a tad back, which can wreak absolute havok on your spine. Also, try to never take off your drum, especially during band camp. Not only will you get used to the weight, but you'll get used to having your center of gravity moved way out in front of you and marching will get a LOT easier

This past summer my back would hurt a lot but the thing that nagged me the most was how my carrier dug into my lower stomach right inside the hip bone. It was only on the right side and we couldn't find a way to fix it. I think it pinched a never or something because during all days, my right thigh got numb. It would be numb all the time, even during breaks when my drum wasn't on. And I still get hints of my thigh being numb today! I got to see what I can do about that.