basilar arthritis

My arthritis got so bad recently, I had to stop playing (temporarily).
Tell me your story. What have you done to cope with arthritis?
 
Sorry to hear of your health woes.

I have a close friend who was debilitated with arthritis a few years back, but after hitting upon a special drug (injection form), it's changed his life in a colossal way. He has mobility now and lives relatively pain-free.

Have you looked into injections? If not, I would highly recommend it seeing the turnaround it can afford.
 
Depends on what one's already doing.

With druming it's hard to not put some unnatural stress on parts of the body at times.

It's all the typical things. Exercises that stretch and increase blood flow without putting strain on the spot that's already inflamed, diet, hydration, enzymes omega-3 and rest.

It's like any monotonous activity. We are setting ourselves up for repetitive strain injury if we're not conscious of it.

These things are case by case, so best to go to someone who knows.

Chronic stuff can be healed it just takes a while.
 
I use a glove on my right hand because of arthritis in my thumb join. It helps with my grip and I can hold it more loosely.
 
Thanks for the advice.
I'm still battling this. Accupressure has been helping. I also started playing with thicker sticks (VF's Boleros) and ProMark Stick Rapp to ease the pressure on my thumb.
 
It all depends on the type of arthritis you have. I have rheumatoid arthritis which is an auto immune disease and I'm treated with a monthly injection of immunosuppressant's and topical pain medications and the like.

These have thankfully had that sort of miraculous result the other post speaks of. I still have pain and stiffness but I can function on a day to day basis and I can still play as well as I could before. I have adjusted my drumset so that everything is a bit closer together in the vertical plain and invested in a good throne so I have a stable base.

My grip isn't what it once was; I had surgery on both wrists some time ago for Carpal Tunnel and this has left me with palms that don't sweat at all which is as bad as too much sweat in terms of being able to grip my sticks so I wear gloves, use heavy , thicker sticks and grip tape. If I don't, I end up holding the stick too tightly and getting terrible blisters. I had problems with cramps in my legs during and after playing but I find that good hydration and electrolyte replacement resolved that.

I also moved to lightweight hardware and downsized my drumset so the load in and load out is easier. All of this combined mean that I am still able to play as before but have taken some of the sting out of gigging from a physical point of view.

Symptom management will be a case of looking at your individual situation and condition and making reasonable adjustments to suit your own particular situation.
 
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