Hi Dave,
I'm glad to hear you are alright and willing to work hard to live
life to the fullest. So many people, injured or not, seem to thrive
on self pity.
I'm much in the same boat as you; car accident 12 yrs ago, broken
hip/pelvis/legs/tendons in R.hand. Disabled for last 6 yrs, 4 back
surguries to correct degenerative spine/disc injuries. I was an auto
mech. for 15 years so have carpul tunnel in both hands and bursitis
in r.shoulder.
I bought my DTX 3 months ago to give me a "full-body" workout. Turns
out its been good for my soul as well. Playing is such a blast and I
grin like an idiot while playing! I'll have to practice my Lars
Ulrich face a little more I guess.
My right hand has never healed fully (ligaments dont), so my r.hand
technique is 'underhanded' and I rotate my forearm more / pivot wrist
less. You may find it nec to adjust your style as well. Remember to
ice your hands for 10min after playing/workout to keep swelling down.
Take Ibuprofin/Advil or other anti-inflammitory as needed.
Take it easy on your hands - they tend to heal slow. Tennis balls are
BAD; the grip point / range of motion is very limited and can strain
your hand more. Crumpling newspaper is much easier on the tendons and
larger motion will loosen your hands up while still strengthening.
For the ribs/back/stomach look into getting an excercise ball
(inflated 30" Romper-Room ball) avail at back shops, et al for ~$25.
For stretching/leg strength I've been doing Tai Chi (its more a
workout than it looks). Easy to do in the living room for 20min. Free
videos can be found at public libraries then just 'dupe' a few you
like.
For a full body workout; go out on the front lawn and crumple
newspaper WHILE doing Tai-Chi and making a Lars Ulrich face. Now that
will keep the neighbor kids in their own damn yard! heheh...
Good luck Bro~
Steve K.
--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "liberatusvirus"
<liberatusvirus@y...> wrote:
> Dave,
>
> Great to hear about the recovery. Now that you can play drums a
> iittle, life is definitely going to get better fast. I just had a
> hand problem that kept me from playing at all for about a month. I
> don't know what it's like to have a break, though. If it's just a
> matter of building strength, I would think that time will take care
> of the bulk of the rehabilitation. But maybe hand exercises, like
> gripping a tennis ball or one of those small rubber balls made to
> improve grip, might have an effect. A physical therapist could
> probably tell you. I'll bet that eventually, whether you find an
> exercise or not, those short bursts of playing will start to get
> longer and longer. I just hope that you don't drop us and go back
to
> the guitar; we need drummers more.
>
> Best,
> Ed
>
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, dj@a... wrote:
> > Greetings good people. I had purchased my dtxpress kit in March,
> and
> > posted once or twice when something nasty happened to me. On
April
> 10 I
> > was crossing the street and got hit by a car. I had a fairly bad
> > concussion, from which I seem to be recovering (as far as I can
> > tell...doh). I also broke some ribs and both thumbs. The casts
> have
> > been off my hands for a while, but they are still pretty tender
> and
> > rather weak.
> >
> > I cannot play my guitar at all yet, but I have discovered that I
> can
> > whack away at my drum kit for short periods.
> >
> > So, I have two requests. First, all you crazy drummers out
there,
> > please say a little prayer for me and anyone else who lives to
> play
> > music, but has been injured ;-)
> >
> > Now, on the more practical side: does anyone have any experience
> as a
> > musician coping with and speeding improvement of hand injuries?
> Any
> > tips or hints? I don't know if my mitts will ever be quite the
> same,
> > but I am hoping they will.
> >
> > If you don't have any advice, sympathy emails are gladly
accepted.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
