Back pain issue

B

Braincramp2

Active Member
Either I can't use the search tool right or there is not much on here so I apologize if its my search skills but lately I have been getting a lot of lower back pain. The last bad episode in July sent me to a chiropractor which seemed to help. Is there any advise say if it is hurting real bad on gig night? It is really bad and driving me toward stopping but I can't let that happen. Any advise is appreciated. Im 6' and 245 so step one is to lose about 15 pounds.
 
Had the same problem a couple of years ago, with some bad episodes. First few days after one it's impossible to play drums, later just uncomfortable. Sitting on a stool without backrest seemed better than with. Bought an expensive office chair for work in day.

Best thing to do is wait till it's better, then be very careful and find a good set of exercises and do them daily. Without further episodes your body should further reduce the problem.
 
Exercises, losing some weight, posture, ergonomic setup, light hardware, a hot-water bottle, stretching and relaxing during a gig could help, but medical advice should be given by a professional in real life. I guess your chiropractor and a drum teacher could help you. However, the back issues may not be caused by drumming, but bad posture in the office or not walking enough during the day - impossible to say what it is. Anyway, you might be interested in the John Lamb book:
 
Losing weight will make a huge difference . I’m 6 ‘ and got up to 245 lbs. Down to 210 now but want to lose another 10-15 lbs. Feel much better and more active to build my core. My BMI is suppose to be much lower ,180, but I look anorexic at that suggested weight - I was 185-190 when I married and was perfect my perfect weight ( though that is considered obese).
 
How square and level are your hips when you're seated at your kit?
Hip misalignment from improper gait or poor seat/seating position can cause immense lower back pain from pressure on the nerves. I have this problem from a leg break changing my gait. 3 trips to the physical therapist and I have almost no pain and a set of simple exercises to alleviate the pain and pressure when they arise again.
Talk to your doctor and a physical therapist. Drummers have advice and occasional working experience with pain, doctors are trained to solve those problems.
 
Swissward Flamtacles said:
Exercises, losing some weight, posture, ergonomic setup, light hardware, a hot-water bottle, stretching and relaxing during a gig could help, but medical advice should be given by a professional in real life. I guess your chiropractor and a drum teacher could help you. However, the back issues may not be caused by drumming, but bad posture in the office or not walking enough during the day - impossible to say what it is. Anyway, you might be interested in the John Lamb book:
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Thanks. My wife is always on me about my posture so will look hard at that.
 
GetAgrippa said:
Losing weight will make a huge difference . I’m 6 ‘ and got up to 245 lbs. Down to 210 now but want to lose another 10-15 lbs. Feel much better and more active to build my core. My BMI is suppose to be much lower ,180, but I look anorexic at that suggested weight - I was 185-190 when I married and was perfect my perfect weight ( though that is considered obese).
Click to expand...
I was just under 200 10 years ago and wouldn't look right any lighter. At 185 I looked completely anorexic.
 
Try another stool with more padding and support.
I had a cheap one when I first started out and after a while it was causing back issues.
 
For folks that are 6' tall, your healthy weight should be between 130 and 180. Y'all dont look anorexic at that weight, you look healthy. Being lighter also puts less stress on your joints and spine.

20211017_113638.jpg
 

Is BMI accurate to reflect true adiposity?

We read with interest the recent paper on body mass index (BMI) trends globally from 1975 to 2014 published in Lancet [1]. Both BMI and obesity increased dramatically during the past 40years. However, BMI might be less accurate to reflect the true adiposity of one person. BMI doesn't reflect fat...
www.internationaljournalofcardiology.com
 
I’ve been seeing my chiropractor regularly for the last 25 years or so now. He keeps tabs on how my back is doing and in the beginning I had a lot of unnatural curving going on due to bad posture. You said you saw a chiropractor, but you didn’t say if it’s part of your lifestyle - I’m on-going with it (what I pay in chiro visits probably makes up for what i would be paying in pain medications).
But don’t give up - I say make chiro part of your regimen, lost some weight and live healthy. Your body wants to correct itself you just have to help it do that sometimes.
 
There are so many different back problems that can cause pain it would be hard to tell you what to do exactly . Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong and everyone reacts and handles pain differently. It could be tight or pulled/ overused muscle related . It could be as @Bo Eder says and be to much curve or even actually straightening of the lower or any part of your spine. It could be herniated or bulging disc related.
I’ve dealt with lower back issue since age 26( am about to be 55) from multiple work related injuries. It’s no fun . I suffer from herniations and bulging discs and with foraminal spinal stenosis from decreased disc height , nerve damage in both legs causing some muscle atrophy.

Don’t screw around with your back . A good chiropractor won’t adjust you without x rays to check for spine conditions or hairline fractures in vertebrae or at least knowing your spine history.

Without a known injury or cause you ( if able) can take an anti inflammatory in conjunction with alternating ice and heat , light easy stretches for your back( google) and walking if able all while paying attention to good body mechanics when lifting or doing anything, and walking as much as you can , comfortably. Do this until you can get in to see a spinal orthopedic and a set of x rays to see what’s going on and maybe an mri if need be down the line . X rays on their own won’t show bulges or herniations but can give an indication of that possibility due to disc height space between vertebrae If no fractures or serious issues preventing you from seeing a chiropractor I strongly recommend finding a good chiropractor and some physical therapy to address non fracture related spinal skeletal problems . I thus far have avoided surgery
( 2- maybe 3 level fusion) as was recommended by an orthopedic spinal surgeon and a spinal neuro surgeon. Every signal back issue and how it affects people is different. The same or similar problem may affect one person more severely that another . Your spine is the center of all your movement, so get a good ortho, x rays , and a chiropractor if warranted and take a pro active position toward getting it resolved . It can take a short period to get better/relief or a long period , so don’t expect overnight relief . Remember that some health issues took a long time to get to a certain point and it can take a while to address.

Here’s to hoping it’s nothing more than muscle problem or out of aligned spine or tilted vertebrae and you recover quickly . Just like our hearing health ( as in another thread here ) , our spine and overall body are important to us drummers and even everyday mere mortals 😉😂.

Now go get it checked out and taken care of 👍🏻. Good luck to you ! I literally feel your pain 😩
 
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someguy01 said:
3 trips to the physical therapist and I have almost no pain and a set of simple exercises to alleviate the pain and pressure when they arise again.
Talk to your doctor and a physical therapist. Drummers have advice and occasional working experience with pain, doctors are trained to solve those problems.
Click to expand...
I want to cosign this.

I've done PT for a couple of problems I had feared were much worse. Then you consult with someone who actually has a comprehensive knowledge of physiology and anatomy, they give you some exercises to target strengthening relevant muscle groups, and things rapidly become better.

Then you're also armed with how to remedy the situation should you experience other flare ups down the road, or to avoid them entirely with regular maintenance.
 
GetAgrippa said:

Is BMI accurate to reflect true adiposity?

We read with interest the recent paper on body mass index (BMI) trends globally from 1975 to 2014 published in Lancet [1]. Both BMI and obesity increased dramatically during the past 40years. However, BMI might be less accurate to reflect the true adiposity of one person. BMI doesn't reflect fat...
www.internationaljournalofcardiology.com
Click to expand...
I'm sorry but when I read this I tend to glass over:

"overweight subjects had the lower risk of mortality when compared to normal weight individuals"

Everybody dies. The above statement is false.

I'm not talking about dying anyhow, rather joint stress. A lighter person is putting less stress on their joints. Heavier people dont have bigger bones or larger joints, just more mass hanging off of them.
 
Oh yeah I agree extra weight is a stress on joints but more so cardiovascular- load on heart because pumping more blood feeding the fat , can get fatty deposits within vessels and promotes inflammatory cytokines thst alter endothelial permeability and smooth muscle, etc. That was just first article i saw how BMI is being reassessed. BMI depends on age and size, and it’s just a rough measure. It’s more individual and genetic. It’s not subcutaneous fat that is bad as deep visceral fat, and how your fat is distributed. From evolutionary histories snd your ancestry your healthy diet can vary- much like an Eskimo metabolism suited to high fat diet. And humans display differences in bone stature so you have thin 6 foot 165 lb healthy and 180 pound healthy ( because muscle mass varies also). Generally now people over 65 who are I think it was 10lbs overweight have an advantage because it acts like a reserve for a sudden chronic illness and that population fair better.
 
Braincramp2 said:
Thanks. My wife is always on me about my posture so will look hard at that.
Click to expand...
Perfect - awareness is very important. Make it a habit to check and correct your posture many times per day and you might find useful exercises and ways to stretch and relax and eventually develop some better posture and movements.
The back is so complicated: some people have cramps in their feet and it might be linked to the neck. A drumming forum can't find out what your problem is - heck, we have had some mind-boggling discussions about topics that are a thousand times simpler to solve. :D It can be worth it to consult a few different professionals, because there are so many potential reasons for pain. Best of luck!
 
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