Wrist injury/tendonitis!? Help

JUZZI

Member
After 5 years of playing drums, I've suddenly started to experience what seems like a bit of tendonitis/injury to my wrists. :cry: I have been playing an awful lot on my e-kit during the past seven/eight weeks of lockdown with no current access to an acoustic kit. I've always been fine on my electric kit but for some reason i clearly must have got into some habit of maybe holding my grip too tight and hitting lousy on certain snare/tom/cymbal hits (I'm usually quite conscious of NOT doing this) I recognised this quickly and loosened up again but its too late, I could kick myself as I may have to lay off the drums for a while to recover. Of course I plan to get it checked out.

Has anyone had this problem before?
 
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Well, I sometimes go overboard when it's just practice it for long periods.

When on the acoustic kit, evcen if practicing a lot, there's more big movement and I tned to get up and stretch a lot more.

How much more are you playing? Are you taking breaks. Are you stretching out? Eating well? There such a thing as over practicing. If it's every day, it adds up.
 
A loose grip, proper form, and sufficient rest between sessions will go a long way toward minimizing the risk of injury, but if you find yourself in persistent discomfort while playing or after playing, I suggest putting down your sticks until you've been examined by a physician. Tendonitis can become chronic if it isn't addressed appropriately. Furthermore, only an expert can confirm that you are, in fact, experiencing tendonitis. Nerve compression could also be at work. A sports-medicine doctor or one who specializes in musicians' injuries might be your best resource. Good luck.
 
in reply to Odd-Arne Oseberg - during quarantine i have played most days of seven weeks just a couple of hours a day, with a day or two breaks here and there. It was all going fine until I played this damn pearl jam song that got me hitting awkwardly which started the wrist feeling painful. then i guess i made it worse by not laying off the drums sooner. I've started doing stretches. maybe i've just way overplayed!? or need to correct the way i hit my snare.
 
Have you had formal drum lessons or are you self-taught?
 
Short-term, you can work some pressure points on your hands and wrists. Longer-term, it’s very important to do some very slow practice with big motions every time you play. I warm up with very big, slow motions playing very simple exercises like the Stone Killer, linear triplets, etc..

I find this approach to be VERY protective against injury when playing.
 
Let your injury heal first and foremost. Work on those stretches.

Secondly, watch this, arguably the best hand technique video you'll find. Start slowly, do it right and you'll play injury free for a lifetime.

Before I was taught good technique I was a white knuckle ride drummer.

 
What everyone said and these...
 
When that happened to me it took months of rest for the pain to go away.
 
I've had some issues with my hands in the past. Obviously focusing on your technique is a primary concern, but in addition, I've found the exercises in the following videos about stretches and light weightlifting helpful:





 
in reply to Odd-Arne Oseberg - during quarantine i have played most days of seven weeks just a couple of hours a day, with a day or two breaks here and there. It was all going fine until I played this damn pearl jam song that got me hitting awkwardly which started the wrist feeling painful. then i guess i made it worse by not laying off the drums sooner. I've started doing stretches. maybe i've just way overplayed!? or need to correct the way i hit my snare.


That isn't much. I can do all day and get nothing but muscle soreness, so my bet without knowing more would be on technique.

I guess it can be easy to start digging into surfaces on an e-kit more.
 
Doctor, doctor, doctor. Get proper help while you have time to heal.
Couldn't agree more. I knew another drummer in music school who took a side gig playing congas which were not his main instrument. He ended up giving himself a severe case of Tendonitis and had to drop out of the program. To this day his Tendonitis can flare up anytime without warning, it's so bad he can barely open his hands.

This is definitely something you want to keep your eye on and get the opinion of a doctor if it persists.
 
I had the same thing happen to me years ago when we. got a mesh head e kit for our one practice space.

What I noticed is that the heads on the e kit don't absorb the shock of the stroke like regular drum heads, and that was it for me. I changed the pressure that I use as I hold the sticks and it made it go away. I don't hold with a great amount of pressure anyway, but the slight adjustment made a huge difference.

but definitely get a doctors opinion if it persists, or shows up doing other things
 
It is true that some unlucky souls never get better. Most likely a very eager music school student who over practice a lot.

In any case, you want to be careful and figure out the cause.

There aren't that many areae to look at.

-Technique
-Stretching
-Exercise
-Diet and supplements.

We are all different, so...
 
I can do all day and get nothing but muscle soreness, so my bet without knowing more would be on technique.

I'm guessing that as well, which is why I asked if the OP has taken lessons or is self taught. A good teacher will keep an eye on their student's technique, and help prevent injury resulting from poor technique. I've seen enough self-taught drummers with poor technique either limiting their ability to play by developing bad habits or, worse, injuring themselves because of it. I can't say I know more than a couple of self-taught drummers who have good technique and have not injured themselves from playing.
 
Is your electric kit rubber pads or mesh? Mesh is much more forgiving. Beating on rubber pads for hours will give anyone tendinitis. If you have rubber pads, consider using Zildjian's Anti Vibe sticks. They work wonders when you have to play on rubber pads for more than 30 seconds.
 
Is your electric kit rubber pads or mesh? Mesh is much more forgiving. Beating on rubber pads for hours will give anyone tendinitis. If you have rubber pads, consider using Zildjian's Anti Vibe sticks. They work wonders when you have to play on rubber pads for more than 30 seconds.

I really like the Zildjians.
 
Keep in mind that there are genetic traits that make some people more susceptible to overuse injuries than other people are. One goose's behaviour might be good for them but damaging for the gander.

Tendonitis can be a frustrating injury to deal with. I hope you heal up nicely so you can enjoy playing again soon!
 
I know that taking Now brand vitamin D supplements, eating fatty fish, and getting sunlight really reduced my vulnerability to this kind of problem. So did taking magnesium supplements.
 
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