Drummers and overcoming severe injuries

[Dibalo Jonze]

Hi folks-
7 weeks ago heavy machinery nearly ripped off my right hand resulting in a helicopter ride to the ER room. The surgeon did a great job putting it back together and with all the therapy I'm doing there is a chance it will return to near normal functioning within 5 months.

I'm confident I'll be able to drum 2-handed again (though the finely tuned mechanics of proper technique may be compromised), but just wanted to hear from other people about injuries that impaired your drumming and how you worked to drum again. For reassurance purposes.

The only good that has come from this injury so far is that it has FORCED me to work on my non-dominant drumming hand and improve foot control/coordination.

thanx and Happy 4 Limb drumming to all!

[DestinationDrumming]

Hi Diablo,
Good to hear that you're keeping positive about drumming. That's part of the key, keeping positive and doing what you can rather than regretting what you can't do.

I've never had such a serious injury and hopefully will not but I think your positive attitude is just awsome! Take a look at Rob's site http://www.handidrummed.com/ lots of inspiration and support there.

All the best
Kevin

[fourstringdrums]

Diablo - I'm Rob, the guy who runs www.handidrummed.com (http://www.handidrummed.com) that DestinationDrumming mentioned above. Myself, I have Cerebral Palsy. I'm sure the website will be able to give you a good amount of inspiration in regards to your own situation. I'm confident that you'll find your way back to playing drums with two hands in no time.

You definitely have the right idea about taking this time to work on your left hand. Back in January I had Carpal Tunnel surgery on both my wrists (one at a time) and I used that time to work on whatever hand I was free to use. The website has quite a few Single-Handed lessons that may be of interest to you: www.handidrummed.com/lessons/ (http://www.handidrummed.com/lessons/) The only other injury I've had was when I was 12 I broke my knee and had to wear a full leg cast on my left leg. I still continued to play drums, I just didn't use the hi-hat foot. That was interesting because back then I wore leg braces, so not only was I playing in a cast, my left leg was more or less in a cast with the leg brace and size 13 shoe that I had to wear (heavy, not very comfortable). But, I had the determination to make it past that period, so I'm sure will do just fine.

You might want to take a look at one drummer in particular who's name is Kevin Reed. www.handidrummed.com/drummers/profiles/kevin_reed/ (http://www.handidrummed.com/drummers/profiles/kevin_reed/) He suffered a severe brain and spinal injury after getting hit with a falling tree. 1 1/2 lbs of his brain was removed and he was in a coma for 75 days. He eventually made his way back to the kit, working on an ambidextrous setup that allows him to work both sides of his body and which was instrumental in his recovery. He's also the designer of the "Trash Kat", a 20" drum made from a steel trash can...you may have heard about it.

On the other end of the spectrum, check out Jeff Sanders www.handidrummed.com/drummers/profiles/jeff/ (http://www.handidrummed.com/drummers/profiles/jeff/) He was in a motorcycle accident, hitting a brick wall head first which made him a C-5 Quadriplegic. He can't walk, is in a weelchair, and has very little control over his arms. Yet, he plays using a Roland Handsonic HPD-15. He is my best example of someone taking a worst case scenario and not letting it stop them, even if they have to completely change how they play.

Let me know if I can help in any way, and keep us updated on your progress!

Rob Richard - rob@handidrummed.com

[IDDrummer]

While I've never had anything as severe as some of the folks on Rob's site, I did injure my right hand in a car accident years ago. I severed the tendons that move the fingers. I had surgery at that time and it took me about 6 months to be able to play decently again. Just last year I had to have a follow-up surgery to repair the old repair and treat carpal tunnel (probably caused by the scar tissue around my tendons). I had that surgery in Jan. and was able to play a bit by the end of Feb.

It's doable. I am not as fast as I used to be and I'm sure I will never be that fast again. But I certainly play well enough to perform in a band. Injuries force you to focus on basics again, so it's not all bad.

[fourstringdrums]

I should mention that when you do regain use of your right hand again, take it slow. Mention to your doctor that you are a drummer if you haven't already and get his take on how playing may or may not affect your recovery. In my case with Carpal Tunnel, my doctor said that drumming was actually a GOOD thing for me, believe it or not. You just want to make sure that you don't do anything that will slow down or throw off your recovery. Better to take it easy for as long as you need to, even if it's a year, rather than face a lifetime of something that could have been prevented.

[Dibalo Jonze]

Wow, thanks for the support guys. Rob, your website is just the inspiration i was looking for and i'm going to go tackle those one-handed funk lessons now.
Reassuring to hear ID drummer recovered in a similar time frame tht my docs told me as i had most of my extensor& flexor tendons severed.

The doctor did do a carpal tunnel release during surgery and knows i'm a drummer but i'll keep reminding him. And the phys therapists think once i can hold a drumstick, drumming will be good for regaining some hand control.

The perspectives i've gained on the drumset from temporarily losing one hand have been very rewarding, and i definately encourage others to try practicing without using a certain limb just once to see the ways you learn to compensate in all genres acros the board.

[SolidGoldCaddy]

Sorry to hear about the accident. Its tough being blue collar and never knowing when an accident will occur. Myself, I am an Auto Glass Technician, so everyday I am working with broken glass, knives, razor blades, and sharp power tools. One day I was helping another guy out and he asked me to bring him in a tool. So like I have done a thousand times, I put what we call a "long knife" in my back pocket. A long knife is like a box cutter blade with a huge long handle for leverage, its used to strip out old urethane on car bodies...anyways, I reached back to hang a spray bottle(the kind that has a trigger that you have to pump) and I buried the brand new knife blade into my arm. There was no pain, no blood(at first) and no weird feeling. But I knew I did it. I took my arm forward and saw what looked like a small cut across the top forearm of my right arm(im right handed). I thought no big deal and proceeded to bandage it up and go back to work. As soon as i reached for a towel, the blood started. I could see down into my arm and it was deep. Long story kinda shortened down. I went to the ER, thinking like I did when I was there last time (glass guys are cut about once a week, be it by glass or a knife or both, some need stiches, some not) that this was just a few stiches and im out. hour and a half tops. Doctor came in and took one look at it and said "youll need surgery" I was terrified and shocked. I never had surgery and am NOT a fan of doctors, hospitals, surgery, etc...So a specialist was called in to look at my arm which was not bleeding anymore and I physically could look into my arm muscle, and see the tendons and bone. Freekin gross man. So he said the knife hit 2 tendons and damaged a muscle. the surgery was 2 days later and he made it a point to do a good job, because im young, my job, drumming. You know, im a hands on kind of guy. I wanted full function without worry about scars or anything like that. So they made a few incisions off the cut i did and made it look like a Z. they had to flap the skin back, and dig out the tendons and sew them together. He told me after the surgery there was a small nick on the bone from the blade, he said "I was in as far as I could have been without starting to come out the other side" The scar is bigger than normal, but most of my function is there, the only thing with that arm I cant do anymore is give someone the finger(one of the tendons severed and repaired) and open my thumb to the widest part(where your pointer finger and thumb make an "L" when fully extended, mine makes a 45 degree angle instead of a 90) But my drumming has not suffered at all(Since I was very new to it at the time, it didnt matter too much) And even now im not very good at all, but still have no restrictions on range of motion and ability. Well at first I was mad at the job, and at the knife and when I was out of places to put the blame I found it was my fault and not a smart thing to do no matter how many times I had in the past. The arm is great now, I lost some muscle, but rebuilt it in a matter of months. My work is physical and helped to rehab when the stiches came out. Overall I would say my recovery was a 9.0-9.5 on a scale of 1-10. Make sure you dont get down on yourself or loose the goal in sight. I know it sounds stupid to make a big deal over a cut, but the things that race through the injured persons mind when they think of the worst I wouldnt wish it upon anyone. Stay up on your practice. If they say dont use the hand. Fine. Use the other one twice as much to make up. You'll do good. I was impressed to hear you say the surgeon did a good job. I didnt think mine did and then after the therapy and rehab, I changed my mind. If you have questions or need to talk, dont hesitate, drop me a line, I keep an eye on the post too...btw heres a pic of my arm after its all said and done. The initial cut made by the blade was the one that goes across the arm. The ones that run parallel to the arm were made during surgery to retrieve the tendons. ENJOY!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/SolidGoldCaddy/Picture003-2.jpg

The Splint the day before surgery to keep the tendons from creeping up the arm further.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v211/SolidGoldCaddy/Picture024.jpg

[drummingman]

when i was in music school i was in one of the practice rooms working on some stuff. as i was going around the drums it felt like someone jerked my left wrist real hard which caused me to stop and look at my hand. well, i start playing again a bit lighter and then i felt more pain and wiredness. so i go to the doc and he tells me that i have tendionitis in that wrist. he said that all i had to do was get the surgery and then i would be fine. so i went ahead and had the surgery. fast forward a few months and my wrist is not better like it is supposed to be. so i go back to another doc ( one in MN because i was back in school at that point from a break we had. and the first surgery was done in VA) and they go in and clean up scar tissue. after that it got better.
at the time i had to just take notes at school and then go back and do all of my drumming tests in a row. i then did my drum jury.
since this time i have also gotten tendonitis in my right wrist as well. the right wrist was from playing video games but it is the same place as my left wrist. i think that i just have a predisposition towards tendonitis. i also have experienced tendonitis in my right achilles tendon.
so i have done a lot of physical therapy in my life and taken a lot of stuff for inflammation. i also have done a lot of icing and heating. as is im having some issues with my right achilles and am having some problems with my left arm because of tensing up.
good luck dibalo with your recovery.

[Highway Child]

Good luck Diablo dont stop drumming - and as the others have said sometimes there is a positive side to an injury. The examples of what determined people can do on handidrummed.com are truly inspirational.

Back in '96 I crashed my motorbike and shattered my right ankle into pieces. Surgery was needed to screw it all back together and I spent 6 months in plaster not allowed to put ANY weight on it. After that it took 2 years to re-adapt my BD technique (I have to play heel up all the time now - my right ankle has restricted movement).

On the negative side I may not be as strong / loud but luckily I'm nearly as fast as before. Biggest problem is that my right and left feet are so different it makes double kick coordination real hard.

On the positive side this meant I had to focus real hard on basics and independence stuff again and overall I play better than before.

I got rid of the bike.

[Dibalo Jonze]

thanks for your support everyone. i'm still making some minor improvements with my right hand's range of motion. i'm having another operation this month to remove scar tissue around some tendons so hopefully it'll enable them to "lift" my fingers.

at times, the chances for a near normal recovery seem grim, but i am fairly confident i'll at least be able to hold a stick traditional grip in the right hand (since holding matched may prove difficult) and become a left-hand lead drummer over time.

either way i'm still having a blast working out new 3-limb exercises each day and so glad that drumming is such a theraputic hobby.

[Jon Cable]

thanks for your support everyone. i'm still making some minor improvements with my right hand's range of motion. i'm having another operation this month to remove scar tissue around some tendons so hopefully it'll enable them to "lift" my fingers.

at times, the chances for a near normal recovery seem grim, but i am fairly confident i'll at least be able to hold a stick traditional grip in the right hand (since holding matched may prove difficult) and become a left-hand lead drummer over time.

either way i'm still having a blast working out new 3-limb exercises each day and so glad that drumming is such a theraputic hobby.

Glad you're on the long road back bro, I busted every bone in my right hand in a dumb prize fight and now suffer with arthiritis and restricted movement not Buddy but I never was LOL!], just be patient and persevere my friend, sometimes things aren't worse, just different! You will be fine dude, keep on playing!! And stay in touch with Rob, he's a great guy, and mebbee check out Unigrip stix; they helped me with my lack of grip!! JC

[somexone75]

I'm a recovering drummer too. April 8. 2005 I was hit in the head with a pneumatic device that ruptured got me right in the skull/right eye and threw me in a coma for 2 weeks. When I woke up I couldn't walk or talk and the whole left side of my body was lazy due to the nerve synapses not firing right. So far I can walk and talk, but the left side of my body and eye are still screwed up so double bass is really hard for me to play and the depth perception is killing me due to having horrible vision in my right eye, so I just have a big blur on my right side, so sometimes I will just hit rim or miss cymbal.

At least I am still alive and drumming

EDIT: I for got to mention that my right eye will probably never get better because it has some optic nerve damage.

[fourstringdrums]

I'm a recovering drummer too. April 8. 2005 I was hit in the head with a pneumatic device that ruptured got me right in the skull/right eye and threw me in a coma for 2 weeks. When I woke up I couldn't walk or talk and the whole left side of my body was lazy due to the nerve synapses not firing right. So far I can walk and talk, but the left side of my body and eye are still screwed up so double bass is really hard for me to play and the depth perception is killing me due to having horrible vision in my right eye, so I just have a big blur on my right side, so sometimes I will just hit rim or miss cymbal.

At least I am still alive and drumming

Just to let everyone know, he's going to be the next profiled drummer on www.handidrummed.com.

It's been busy around here and I don't get to updates like I used to, but it will happen very soon :)

[somexone75]

Just to let everyone know, he's going to be the next profiled drummer on www.handidrummed.com.

It's been busy around here and I don't get to updates like I used to, but it will happen very soon :)

Rob for the record, I have been trying to draft up a new pic for you to be able to put up on your web page as a html tag for others linked in from some other site to host (as in putfule.com com) and so you don't need to worry about changing it or ever having your server crash. It will always be there hosted on a different server dedicated to hosting pics.

[somexone75]

Opinions anyone I don't care if they are positive or negative? Tell me what you think and you ideas for changes if any.

[fourstringdrums]

Opinions anyone I don't care if they are positive or negative? Tell me what you think and you ideas for changes if any.

Thanks for making that. I think though that it makes the banner I bit crowded. There is already the "Where Determination Overcomes Disability" tagline too, so it's a bit much. Great idea though. It would maybe look good on a different banner, but I still don't know what I want to do with the link codes. I'd say that 90% of the websites that link me don't use banners.

[somexone75]

Ya but I was also just throwing it across myspace to try to see if we get any bitters that will post it up. I agree with you it is way to crowded. I just had a mental fart and couldn't think of any other base designs.

I knew it looked weird to me, but I couldn't place my finger on it exactly why.

[CopperBomb]

I was involved in a bad motorcycle accident about 14 years ago which shattered my left ankle & severed some of the nerves to my left shoulder and stretched all the remaining nerves/tendons (brachial plexus injury).

My arm was paralysed for a good year and slowly started to regain movement after a further 18 months. It's been stable for the last 8 years or so, but I now have limited range of movement in my shoulder and badly reduced strength.

I started drumming again about 6 years ago after playing a friend's Roland TD-10 kit. I went out and bought a Yamaha DTXpress II e-kit as it's compact enough to be able to play fully without overstretching my left arm. If I play for extended periods (4 hours +) my shoulder reallly hurts the following day, but on the whole I can cope with it & I'm a better drummer than I ever was beforehand. I've also noticed a considerable increase in muscle tone which can only be a good thing.

I wish you all the best in your recovery and hope you can get back behind a kit again soon.

Full Revs

Paul

[Dibalo Jonze]

Thanks for sharing your stories. I hope you continue to heal as much as is possible Somexone. And Paul, that's awesome you say you're a better drummer now than before, cuz I'm pretty sure that's going to happen for me.

I'm not going to say things happen for a reason, b.c. personally I don't believe they do, but when something happens and there's nothing you can do about it, it helps me to find a reason to create an oppurtunity out of the event. And that helps keep life moving forward. And I'm using this oppurtunity to strengthen my left hand, work on foot control and multi-pedal exercises, improve my sight reading, study up on more world-beats, dissect and transcribe drum parts in my favorite songs.......... there's so much I can work on!!!!

I'm having surgery next week to remove scar tissue in my hand (tenolysis) and still may need one or two more after that, but the prospects for a healthy recovery are still strong and I've never been more excited to go under the knife (kinda twisted, I know).

Even better news; in the last week I've been able to hold a stick in right hand (though I can only hold it traditional grip a quite weakly) but pretty sweet for 3 months after having my hand ripped half way off. And since I don't want to overwork with lots of notes as the lead hand, I'm practicing nothing but left hand lead. So fun!

[michael drums]

Hey Diablo...

I can certaintly relate!!

See my post in Jeff's thread, "Are we Grateful to be Drummers?"

GREAT stayin' positive, man!

Well Done!!

...and DO Play On! ;-)

Oh, and uhh...Good Luck with all that!

[somexone75]

Never stop playing. The only way to suck is to not try.

Practice will change all.