Tennis Ellbow

S

Scumdrummer

Member
hey
does anybody of you drummers have experience with a tenis ellbow? the thing is i heard people saying and read that i should take it easy and dont move my affected arm and elsewhere it says moving the arm will heal it
thanks
 
Wow, you got tennis elbow from playing drums? If so, you must be playing WAY too hard or have some odd drumkit ergonomics. There is physical therapy that can help somewhat, but a lot of it is just not doing what causes pain.
 
i got the tennis ellbow from judo, but thanks for the advice
i just want to know whether playing drums will have a negative effect on my tennis ellbow
 
I would read throught this and then see a doctor. You don't have to play tennis to get "tennis elbow" Any repetitive activity with the arm can cause it. Also look at your technique and you must be really pounding on your drums. Try microphones.
 
thank you all
my technique is not the problem at all...i simply wanted to know whether there is any drummer here also having a tennis ellbow but still playing drums
 
I play tennis, and I play drums. I've had tennis elbow a couple of times but it was not caused by tennis. The first time it was caused by a couple of hours of emergency DIY plumbing. The repetitive motions needed for that job was the culprit. The second time it was caused by DIY carpentry, given the head-heavy balance of the typical hammer, and improper hammering technique. It was further aggravated during tennis by a new racquet/string combination that was way too stiff.

Recovery usually takes 3 stages. First is a couple of weeks rest, and taking anti-inflammatories (like ibuprofen) when needed until the pain and imflamation subsides. Second was gentle stretching and strengthening for about a week. Third was playing non-competitively and gently until full range of motion was possible.

Fortunately, the movement in tennis that aggravates it (mostly lateral) is slighly different from the movements in drumming (mostly vertical). So it is possible to either start playing drums earlier in the recovery stage than tennis, or continue playing if the aggravation is not too severe.
 
I had it in both elbows a few years ago, not related to drumming because I had stopped playing for awhile. Went to the doc and he gave me a brace. It takes months for the pain to go away.

In 2008 I started playing again, and to make up for lost time I took lessons and the teacher suggested heavier sticks so I got 2B's and really went at the practice pad hard, trying to strengthen my left (trad grip) and my tennis elbow started to come back on that arm.

Then I remembered to wear the elbow brace an ortho had given me. Started wearing it during practice and the pain went away. Whew.
 
Yep, I've got elbow pain, got it bad. Can't say that it's tennis elbow, though. My doctor thought it might be arthritis, which runs in my family, or maybe drumming related but he wasn't sure, so he's sending me to see an orthopedist next Monday about my left elbow. It hurts, has been hurting for several months. I've been doing more playing lately and I can play alright, but when I'm through my left arm feels as though it's locked in position, it's painful to move it.

The only good thing is that it's not my right elbow. Now that would suck big-time.
 
First thing you should do is see a Dr to make sure it is indeed tennis elbow and not something else going on like a strain in the muscle, a ligament or tendon. If it is tennis elbow he will probably give you some stretching exercises to help loosen the sore area up. You should really get it checked out first before you do anything.
 
Saw the doctor today and, sure enough, I have tennis elbow. He showed me some stretching exercises to do and told me to get a tennis elbow strap to wear when I'm playing.

I'm seeing him again in four weeks and if it isn't any better by then he'll give me an injection.
 
Scumdrummer said:
i got the tennis ellbow from judo, but thanks for the advice
i just want to know whether playing drums will have a negative effect on my tennis ellbow
Click to expand...

I also have osteochondritis dissecans (tennis elbow) which I got when I was a child before I started playing. My doctor told me that playing drums was not a problem. The trouble I have is that I have to be very careful when I move equipment because lifting anything heavy can hurt me bad enough to keep me away from practice for weeks at a time.

A few months ago, I was doing some intense yoga and strained my elbow. The pain didn't go away after several weeks and I was getting ready to see a doctor again. I was going totally crazy because I couldn't practice. Finally, I gave in and just played through the pain, taking it easy at first. As I played more and more, the pain disappeared. Now my elbow starts to cramp up if I don't play for a few days. But, my elbow is stronger than ever.

Apparently there are some surgical techniques used to treat it, but they aren't very successful. Surgery is only an option if you're still developing your skeletal structure - under 25 for males, under 20 for females. Physical therapy is usually suggested before
surgery anyway, and includes stretching, Indian clubs, and weight training, all very lightly and working up.

I'm going to talk to my doctor about it, and I definitely recommend you do the same.

-sheldon
 
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