Stiffness/Cramping

Bipitta

Member
Hey all,

Just wondering if this has affected any of you:

Over that last couple of weeks I've noticed my ring and pinky fingers on my left hand (the one I hit the snare with when dropping sweet beats) feeling stiff. Almost as if they've cramped up (without the pain that comes with cramps) and it makes it quite difficult to perform ghost notes.

And I notice it more when I'm doing a 16th note run on the snare for just a basic fill.

I'm pretty sure it's not technique as I'm not what one would call a heavy hitter, I don't grasp the sticks like I'm holding a pair of hammers, but I don't let the grip go limp either. I don't get blisters or callouses from my grip either; I just throw the stick down, let it come back up, repeat.

Perhaps it's just old age finally catching up with me (though I'm only 32 going on 33), but just curious if any of you have experienced this, and if so, what have you done to remedy the situation. I don't want to be Phil Collins, having to tape sticks to my hands and eventually having to stop all together!
 
Hey man well I'm kind of having some cramp problems as well, In both right and left hands around my thumb and it REALLY affects my playing. It only happens here n there though so I think it's just a matter of me warming up enough before I try to hop on and jam.
 
Try rotating your palm hand down towards the drum slightly when you go hit it then go back to normal when your hand rises (which is the opposite of the first step) regardless of the grip, there should be a little bit of clearance between your little finger and the stick too.

Maybe a video clip of you playing will be worth a thousand words.
 
Could be many things which may or may not be drum related.

Does the symptoms described occur in any other activity ? If you wereto hold an object in that hand like a drink, etc do you find any weakness, any pins and needles ?

I would see a Dr or Physio to get it diagnosed.... once you know what it is you can norrow down how to deal with it.

The "off the cuff" diagnosis would be carpal tunnel syndrome...which could be short or long term.....

or maybee its an "auto immune" problem...again inflammation contributing to impinged nerves / ligaments.


anyway I would get it looked at, "carpel tunnel" can be addressed in several ways..both on dealing with the symptoms and looking at how you play that contributes to it / minimisez its return.

Hope that helps
 
Assuming it's not a technique problem I can only think of a few things without having it looked at.

I have a pretty loose technique myself, but since I play pretty much all day I'm sure to stretch well and get some other movements going to loosen up.

Exercises for carpal tunnel are great for anyone just as prevention and healthier hands in general.

Offcourse make sure you're well hydrated. Since I only eat home made food I also make sure I get enough salt for my body to absorb enough fluids.'

There's tons of things, but I don't want to give tons of health advice unless someone asks for it.

Try giving the muscles and tendons in your forearm some massage. I think you might feel a sensation all the way down to your fingers if you massage the connections just below you elbow.
 
Agree with everything said so far, but will add that I find it strange your left hand is acting up but not your right one. This to me points to something physical in your own body. Right hand cramps can be caused by moving the hats up or down from where your body is used to playing them, any kit piece position changes really, or playing with sticks to skinny for your gripping style. The last one could possibly alleviate your situation short term, switching to a slightly thicker stick made of a lighter wood like maple. Being the left hand though is definitely a red flag to have it looked at if it doesn't clear up with basic stretching / hydration.
 
Thanks for the replies everyone!

And yep, I'm looking into the chiropractor to see if there's anything he might be able to notice. And good idea about the sticks! I have recently been reluctantly trying out a smaller stick that our guitar bought to put our logo for selling at shows.

I usually use the Vic Firth SD1 Generals which are pretty big by comparison. I'll switch back this weekend to see if I notice any differences.

And you know, everybody has always said warm up before you play but I've always just sat down and started playing. So I'll give that a try too. A little stretching and warming up couldn't hurt!

Thanks again everyone!
 
I usually use the Vic Firth SD1 Generals which are pretty big by comparison.

I'd call bingo on that sentence. I'm still surprised that your right hand didn't start acting up first. Could be that you're tensing up to control lighter strokes. I've caught myself doing that before. Try and feel what your hand is doing on the ghost notes and lighter hits. Make sure you're just "letting it fall" and not tensing up to "control" the lightness.

Let us know if the stick change helps the issue.
 
Try rotating your palm hand down towards the drum slightly when you go hit it then go back to normal when your hand rises (which is the opposite of the first step) regardless of the grip, there should be a little bit of clearance between your little finger and the stick too.

Maybe a video clip of you playing will be worth a thousand words.

When I saw JoJo Mayer play, I was like 5 feet away from him for the whole gig. I noticed that he rotated his palm, and RELAXED his fingers after striking the snare.
 
If it's just those two fingers, it could be a nerve problem. But if it ONLY happens when you play drums, it sounds more of a muscle problem. Stretching and hydration works, for sure. I don't think it's old age, as your not old :). Have a doc look at you, of course. have you ever had any neck trauma? A lot of hand and finger pain/issues tend to stem from the neck, believe it or not.
 
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