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Home Health Tips for Drummers
By Dr.Daniel
Buch, B.S., D.C., Q.M.E. www.drummershealth.com
See also Common Drumming Injuries
Exercise
Just like an athletic event, drumming can involve physical demands
which you must be prepared for; not only for the sake of your performance, such
preparation is important to maintain your overall health so that you can return to play
night after night, year after year.
Good cardiovascular fitness can play huge dividends during long
performances and in maintaining a healthy heart. Daily and pre-performance stretching are
essential to maintaining musculo-skeletal health and in maximizing your performance. Go
slowly and try to perform your exercise activities in a relaxed, unhurried manner.
For drummers it makes sense to maintain a "well rounded"
routine which encourages strength and flexibility of the upper and lower body. It makes
little sense to achieve massive upper body strength at the expense of cardio-vascular
health and lower body endurance. Your exercise routines should be balanced between
cardiovascular work and strength training.
Warm Up
Warm up prior to beginning. By warming up we mean just that, "Warm
the muscles, tendons and joints". A warm muscle performs much more efficiently. In
addition, warmed up joint systems are more extensible and compliant. This translates into
tissues which can better withstand stress and strain. This means fewer injuries due to
both repetitive strain and sudden injury. An excellent general book on stretching is Bob
Anderson Stretching Book
Proper warm up should consist of several minutes of gentle low
intensity stretching of the legs, arms, forearms and wrists. The fingers too must be
stretched as they play an important part in generating speed and endurance while playing.
Proper stretching is done slowly and under control with no bouncing or
tugging. Here is my general pre gig stretching routine:
1) Neck and shoulder stretch:
Let neck bend to side. Allow gravity to fully take effect and traction your neck downward.
Then hold the same side wrist with a straight arm and pull across your body.
2) Wrist and Finger Stretches in Flexion and Extension:
With a straight elbow, while holding the hand at the knuckles with
opposite hand, gently pull wrist downward. Keep elbow straight and hold for 10 to 20
seconds. Perform this several times.
With a straight elbow, while holding the hand at the fingers with opposite hand, gently
pull wrist and fingers backward. Keep elbow straight and hold for 10 to 20 seconds.
Perform this several times.
A further benefit of warming up, includes preparing the cardiovascular
system for increased demands.
Go Back to the top Check your Equipment
Always check your equipment prior to the show. Pay attention to your
sticks! A "buzzing" stick is as good as broken. Discard it. A shattered stick is
very dangerous and can inflict serious injury to the eyes.
Drum "thrones" and stools can also wear out. Give it a good
check every once in a while at the same time you shoot it with WD40!
Drum risers have caused accidents. If the rigging is unsteady report it
as soon as possible! Take your time of course when entering and exiting an unfamiliar
stage/riser.
Go Back to the top Use Proper Technique
Learn good technique. While drumming is an art to be sure, there are
certain principles which require your attention. Proper technique makes you more efficient
with your energy, distributes stress through your joints evenly and makes you faster. Here
are a few things to consider:
Stay relaxed in the upper body and face.
Breath through a relaxed mouth. The best way to breath is with as little air resistance as
possible.
While there are as many different stroke techniques as there are drummers, remember that a
combined stroke which uses arm/forearm/wrist and fingers, spreads the work load and can
increase power and speed. There should be very little tension in your grip.
Posture
All too often drummers sink into poor posture habits. Slouching over
the kit is a sure way to injury your lower back and neck. Maintain the curve in your lower
back. Build or re-build your kit set up from the ground up. Make sure that your
positioning encourages proper posture and easy access to your gear.
Go Back to the top Drink Water
Always stay well hydrated. This is especially true if you don't already
drink water. During a show and rehearsal your normal demand for water will increase
dramatically. Exhalation and perspiration increase water loss. Do not wait until you are
thirsty. When possible, drink water during the set. This is especially true if your gig is
outdoors. Staying well hydrated will lower fatigue, and increase performance.
A good target amount of water is to drink up to one half of your body
weight in ounces of water per day!
(if you weight 150 pounds you can drink 75 ounces a day!)
Go Back to the top Nutrition
Eating well prior to a show or while on a road trip can be difficult,
as uncertain time schedules and poor sources of quality foods prevail. If at all possible,
prepare in advance by keeping a healthy snack or two in your bag. Apples and nuts keep
well and make excellent snacks. Health/nutrition bars are good, as they encourage water
consumption! When on the road try to maintain a consistent eating pattern. Keeping your
metabolism at an even pace makes a great difference in how you feel and perform.
Drumming legend Bill Bruford was kind enough to add his thoughts
regarding nutrition. I quote him directly, " Eat your broccoli!". If eating that
particular green veggie has anything to do with Mr. Bruford's immense talent, I for one
will take his advice!
Go Back to the top Protect your Hearing
While it may not always be needed, noise reduction ear plugs may be
needed if volume levels are high. If possible have your monitor mix as low as possible
while still enabling adequate sound levels to hear everything well. If the is little time,
or you have a reluctant sound engineer, rotate the monitors away from you a bit. This is a
"low tech" method of saving your ears for another day!
If you wear hearing protection, don't forget to dry your ears well
after shows and showers. Trapped moisture can lead to fungal infections and water
entrapment.
Go Back to the top Treatment
While it is always best to avoid injury, treating injury once it has
occurred is equally important. For sprains, strains and overuse injuries, the following
should be done as soon as possible:
1) Stop Playing if Possible. While rest alone will not heal the injury,
it is important to stop doing further damage to the injury. If you need to complete a set
or several day stretch of shows, MAKE SURE that you do the following:
2) Ice the Area. Early use of ice to a sprained ligament or strained
muscle can cut healing time by as much as 50%. Ice massage is effective as is an ice water
immersion of the injured part if possible (ankles, wrists, fingers, elbows). If you are
using ice massage (Styrofoam cup filled with water and frozen) or an ice pack, make sure
than ice UNTIL THE AREA IS NUMB. This takes about 7 to 10 minutes. Do not ice less or more
than this. The goal is to decrease swelling and decrease pain. Ice 3 or 4 times per day
over the first 48 hours.
*Note: it can be painful over the first few minutes of icing,
especially to the wrist and elbow (the nerves are near the surface) Such pain is normal
and will decrease over the next few minutes.
3) Use Compression and Early Gentle Motion. Using a wrist wrap or ankle
wrap can decrease swelling, however; use wraps only if you need to keep playing during the
first few days following an injury. After an injury the goal is to improve the quality of
the healing by using "early controlled motion". This means safe, slow and gentle
motion which moves the joints and muscles through their normal range of motion. Such
motion enhances the healing of the area by decreasing swelling, improving the quality of
the new tissue and enhancing blood flow to the area.
4) Treat Pain and Injuries Promptly. This is very important as minor
problems can become major ones if neglected. For more information on treatment after an
injury see Self Help Guide. It goes without saying, never ignore a problem in the hopes
that "it just go away." These are famous last words. It is always best to take
care of a minor problem before it escalates.
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