Medical condition's that hinder your progress

Destroyer772

Gold Member
I have struggled with carpal tunnel in both hands for around 10 years, going from mild to severe depending on the kind of work I was doing. I have put surgery off so long that I have permanent nerve damage in my right thumb. Causing around 70% constant numbness. My grip is not what it used to be and the vibration of playing causes problems when doing 16th's on hats and ride. I can do them but sometimes I just kinda loose it. I use Zildjian anti-vibe sticks which help some. Got surgery in a couple month's, hopefully it will help. Any one else have health/medical issues that get in the way. Grunter if there is already a thread on it just move this.
 
Morton's Neuroma in both feet. It's annoying, but at least I can still play, as long as I don't put a lot of pressure on my feet. Standing on my feet is actually worse than playing the kit, which, in a strange kind of way, I am thankful for.
 
I have some rods and pins in my right ankle (my hi hat foot) that make prolonged or fast twitch double bass and hi hat work difficult, and if too prolonged, I get an ache that last for days.

So, could be a lot worse. In the grand scheme of things, there's plenty of other drummers that have much larger issues to overcome than I do, and I can (or am forced to) arrange my parts to get around it just fine. Most people wouldn't know or appreciate that difference, but I think anybody can that has some physiological issue that prevents them from accomplishing something shares similar feelings of frustration.
 
Part of the problem with an injury is that you are mentally detoured as well. If you get by the pain, you are still thinking about it and that hurts your concentration.
 
Could you explain what that is and how long you have been suffering with it?

Ankylosing spondylitis is an inflammatory disease that, over time, can cause some of the vertebrae in your spine to fuse. This condition can be disabling. Sometimes you can experience sharp pain in your joints; especially in the hips and back.
 
I have scar tissue in my right shoulder/upper back area from a muscle tear done at work that presses on nerves in my upper back. When it's bad my right shoulder and neck, elbow, wrist, and hand are all royally f@&£ed. I have to constantly crane my neck over to one side, stretch my shoulders, arch my back, and crack the fingers on my right hand to relieve the burning, locked up type thing that happens in all the effected areas. My right wrist has been pretty mangled from work as well. I'm not sure exactly what's wrong with it, but it makes a lot of cracking and grinding sounds when I move it around. I really need to get it looked at.
 
No Medical conditions.
How about old age. Does that qualify?


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Never been specifically tested but all the signs are there of early-onset arthritis. My mother has it and my grandpa I think had it. Silly genetics. Ibuprofen is one one my best friends.
 
Posted by Hollywood Jim
No Medical conditions.
How about old age. Does that qualify


NO!, but I am glad to hear that Jim.

I should have said no conditions yet.

Recovery time is getting longer after a 4 hour gig.

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My shoulders are forked due to smashing them up playing rugby. I've dislocated my shoulders more than I've had hot dinners and have had 4 different operations. My left collar bone is pinned to my sternum and first rib by sinu grafted from my leg (which has been numb for 15 years), my left rotator cuff has 2 screws and 6 staples in it. My right shoulder has 2 suture anchors holding everything in place.

All operations have had their complications and the physio on the last operation meant that I have consistent pain morning and night in shoulders, neck and back.

Added to this I have ligament laxity which means all my joints are loose. This means that almost all my muscles are in a constant state of spasm. Cough in a strange position or stretch to grab something in the wrong way and my chest/back/legs/shoulders can all cramp up, get pins and needles or just go numb

SO with regards to muscle memory, I'm pretty shit, which makes my drumming really hard to nail down. I can almost never play the same thing from one bar to the next as my limbs simply cannot manage doing the same repetitive thing over and over.
 
In my case it's focal hand dystonia in my left hand which makes it near impossible to play matched grip. Fortunately, traditional grip has been a pretty good work-around. I know there are other forum members with this problem, because there was a thread on this topic.
 
I had some pretty darn severe back pain while obligated to play drums at my church. Due to this, I ended up having to re-teach myself how to play a 1-up/2-down configuration. Now, I actually LIKE this configuration better. I like playing a 4-piece, so the floor tom is out of the way, but it's there when I need it. So I can now play a 1-up/2-down without having to twist my back at all. It's super-comfy to play, and I've learned a little more left-hand independence because of it.

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I've broken a lot of bones which left me with stiff ankles and now a lot of arthritis but that really doesn't bother me as much as losing my hearing and being dependent on hearing aids to make out anything. They were so bad at first everything sounded "tin-ny" and artificial but now they are pretty good, however I have lost my confidence in what I hear is real. I hear people talking but sometimes it is lost in translation to sound, to me, like cursing or odd statements. I have always had to have a close friend at work to help with what is said or if people are talking to me and I don't respond. The lab I was in as a postdoc made me a T-shirt that said "Huh?" my usual response lol. I've responded inappropriately at times with what I thought was said and embarrassed myself-like with the President of College's wife. I'm like damn.
 
Only short term hindrance for me.

I had a minor op on my right foot a couple of years back which involved removing a lump from between my 2nd and 3rd toes (looked like a big skin tag). I had a single stitch over the wound which did absolutely nothing to heal.

I had to play a gig 4 days after having this done which I just about got through, I'd spent the entire week off work with my foot up with a bag of ice on it and on painkillers, couldn't walk far as the stitch would have split plus my foot had swollen up that much I could only wear my slippers.

What also didn't help was that I'd had a cyst removed from my head as well so I had 3 stitches up top too so I must have looked a pretty sight when I rocked up.
 
Good night, you guys have got some real burdens and I'm sorry to hear it. I hope playing and learning about the drums continues be a source of joy for all of y'all.

I consider myself lucky that my only condition is that I'm uncoordinated and not very smart!
 
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