Coping With Injury

[Vdrummer]

I have an article on my experiences with breaking a wrist in many places and having it surgically screwed back together, the physical therapy, fears, etc. I even contributed a page of easy one handed drum grooves for other drummers, that I wrote for www.handidrummed.com. Check it out, and keep a good attitude, practice with your remaining three limbs and don't worry. Good luck,

Brad

[tombo74]

A colleague of mine had his left wrist and part of hand litterally destroyed in a bike accident. He's a drummer and a high-tech micro-optic precision assembler. Needless to say, he NEEDED that hand to get back in shape (and he was continuously repeating it to the medical staff). Six months after surgery, it was like he never had any accident. Hand specialists can be magicians. Good luck and stay positive!

[Cameron_Mahoney]

Thanks, guys.

Haha, matricks... Yeah, I've been working on a lot of freehand johnny rabb style stuff, and buddy rich hand foot combinations (ala vinnie memorial scholarship solo). Unfortunately, my double bass pedal has been out of action for a while, but I'm still cooking up a cool solo for a song for jazz fest with my remaing limbs.

Well, we're scheduling the surgery tomorrow. Thanks for the support!

[XNavyDrummer]

Sorry to hear about your situation Cameron. Prayers out for a speedy recovery for you.

I was just watching Dave Weckl's video on How to Practice where he mentions taking a knife through his hand. He talked about how he wasn't allowed to use it and spent the time working on other exercises with his other limbs.

Take care,

Andy

[chris perra]

in 94 i slashed 95% of my tendon on my middle finger,the one that lifts my finger up. at the time it just drooped, i couldn't lift it up at all. it was 2 days before i had to play at a pearl players challenge competition. i was freakin out. i went to emergency and the doctor there stiched the 2 ends together on the spot.

it hurt like hell but i was able to compete. it took about 3 years to get to 100% strength. i was making a living at the time playing music so i didn't do myself any favors by not really letting it rest properly. and i pounded the ibuprofen as well. another thing that could have been dangerous.

but, nowdays the only side effect is that my middle finger tendon is a bit shorter than the others so i can't totally straighten out like the rest. as long as you don't have any nerve damage you'l most likely have a full recovery.

good luck


chris perra

[got_a_matchgrip]

Some great & positive responses & advice!

Chances are, you'll recover. It just may take a little time, patience, AWA perseverance. Listen to the doctors / therapists [I already know you will]. ;c)

Weckl almost cut OFF I believe it was his index finger w a swiss army knife back around '00 or'01. As you can see, with a little surgery & therapy / rehab, he is now still presently <s>kicking most everyone's axe</s> doing just fine [img]eek.gif[/img] You might want to drop him an e via his site & see what he might have to say about it!

I had a motorcycle accident back in '87 or 8. I was playing full-time ATT...I had to sequence some stuff & played with my arm in a cast & shoulder sling for a couple of months. I still have some occasional minor shoulder ache in the hot humid months, AWA a little tension or stiffness when I raise my arm all the way up above my head, but nothing that adversely affects the drumming; no real so-called pain since the recovery & it healed fully.

I also had an accident one time where I fell & landed on my thumb, jamming it all the way back to the wrist. Some tendon / ligament damage there. Had to overcome that too.

Stay proactive & hopeful, & do the things necessary, & you should be fine!

Best of luck!

[BTW...the GF thing...don't sweat it. You're only 17 - Ya gots your whole life ahead of ya! You'll meet the right gal when the time comes. You may have several other "GFs" until then. Just "do the right things"]... [img]wink.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img] [img]cool.gif[/img]

When all is over, & said & done, it'll just be another testament to your drive & perseverance; just another small character-building stepping-stone in your life.

Another example of why this forum is important & rocks.

Peace.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 11, 2005 02:58 PM: Message edited by: got_a_matchgrip? ]</font>

[benrand]

I broke my elbow pretty severely in a mtn bike accident and I was at the time gigging with a T40 band for a big part of my student income, gas money and so forth.

Well, I was walking off the dark stage after a set about the week after surgery, fell and broke my fall with my hands. The force ripped apart the "skewer" and wire they used for it, it just slid apart like taking meat off a shishkebab. Pretty gruesome.

I got that fixed with heavier wire then rebroke the mother effing thing AGAIN in a minor road bike accident.

The next surgery was a big plate and 8 316SS screws along with some cadaver bone paste...something the jackass who put the skewer in should have done all along.

It is nasty looknig and my arm is much smaller than the other, and it gets numb sometimes and lifting weights can be really painful. But I still hit the trails with it wearing a big ole elbow pad and I rarely tihnk about it.

If I were to break it again, I would most likely need a joint replacement.

I won't go into whether or not the US healthcare system should become socialized now. Let's just say my bills were pretty big...but that's life.

[Groovemeister]

Moose, Henry II and Matricks,

Great posts guys. Above all, keep positive. This is just a tiny blip in a whole world mapped out for you. Give is 6 months and you'll be pounding out again! [img]wink.gif[/img]

I wish you all the best in a speedy recovery and hope that you'll keep us updated with how things are going...

MP