Coping With Injury

As I talk to you right now, I'm typing one-handed, so please be tolerant of spelling or typo's.

I'm a senior in high school, and am going onto college for a musi major, possibly music education... but I've alwyas dreamt of playing. Regardless of that dilemma, I had a very bad injury last Friday in my CADD class. To make a long story short, I was chiseling wood and put the chisel into the middle of my left thumb. I cut through the tendon and it was all very messy. There is no hand specialist here, so I have to drive 2 1/2 hours to Green Bay WI to get surgery early bext week. There might be nerve damage, as I can feel it get more painful as the skin heals.

My question is, will this affect my dreams as a musician? I made sure all of the doctors I saw while trying to get treatment knew I was a musician, but somehow through all the poking and prodding I don't think they grasped the delicacy of technique and grip I require. Also, they avoided stitching the sking and treating it, as I am 17 and a minor, and they couldn't get a hold of my parents for hours.

I guess this hand specialist deals with a lot of musicians, and everyone's been telling me tendons shouldn't be too hard to repair, but I can't help but worry. Will my fulcrum be dead? Will my grip be insensitive or useless? Of course I don't expect you guys to know, but maybe just share similar experiences or hope.

On top of all of this, they estimate a 3 month time with no playing with my left hand and having to go through physical therapy, and my girlfriend of over a year broke up with me last week. I'm determined to stay in things, though, as I have several gigs coming up, and two jazz band festivals. I'm confident I can get by with one hand, reasonably well, but can't help but worry my dreams are dead.

Sorry, I guess I just needed to talk to fellow drummers about how crappy things are going. [img]confused.gif[/img]

tendons and nerves can be touchy in the repair area, side effects can be numbness even after surgery.

I wish you all the best of luck in a full recovery Cameron. FWIW, I recall a guitarist I used to play with who suffered very bad nerve damage and was unable to use the index finger of his left hand. He had to relearn how to play everything with the remaining fingers - and he DID IT! A year later, the feeling returned and he was able to play normally again.

S0 there's hope! I'm pretty sure that nerves are regenerative.

Though story.
I can only extend my wishes that your hand will heal and that you manage the other issues in your life right now. I really can't tell you much about your chances of using your hand to its full potential again, but 3 months time-out seems reasonable. Just to cheer you up, I'd say it's nothing out of the ordinary given your accident. Let us know what the specialist says.

If you feel pain and you can move your thumb, that's a good sign. It seems to me that the injury should heal. Proper physical therapy will be the key to recovery.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Cameron Mahoney:
There might be nerve damage, as I can feel it get more painful as the skin heals.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I think you ought not to panic about your career ending just yet. Increasing pain is common as injuries start to heal, and pain is an indication that the nerves are still functional.

Wait for your surgery, and maintain a positive outlook. A very significant part of healing is mental.

Well said Moose.
Cameron: Although it may feel as though the world just collapsed over your shoulders, it's real important to keep looking ahead.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ April 10, 2005 10:21 PM: Message edited by: Suspiria ]</font>

Cameron -

Withold judgment until all is finished. It is no use worrying about what might happen. You may be surprised. You may gain full use and be better than ever. Just keep your head up and listen to your doctors and work hard on rehab.

Take Care. F.S.

Great advice guys.

Cameron, please keep us updated on your progress. [img]graemlins/thumbs_up.gif[/img]

Matched or Traditional grip? Seriously.

As far as nerve damage, i have no idea... as far as tendon damage... i have torn/ruptured my patellar tendon three times in the left leg, twice in the right (it's called trying to recover too fast and doing it all over again cause i was a stupid kid)... however, i am as good as gold now. I don't know about the nerve damage, but i think the thumb would be the one you would wanna get it in, rather than (God forbid) get it originating in the wrist or having an immoble index or middle finger. I think the thumb could be worked around... since it only acts as half of a fulcrum and therefore doesn't really need too much movement. I know people who can't bend entire fingers and have a more rippin' roll than i do with that 'hindering' them. However, i think you will make a recovery nicely... i just don't see it as being a long-term issue.

I think you will be fine. Spend this time to work on your feet.

Let me say again: Spend this time to work on your feet.

Let me say again: Spend this time to work on your feet.

Let me say again: Spend this time to work on your feet.

... get the point??? You will never have another time when you can devote months at a time to your footwork. TRUST ME!!! Imagine if someone tied your hands behind your back and made you practice foot chops... you would be killer after a few months. Well, guess what, someone just did, so now is your chance to have killer feet. Seriously, after a few months of just footwork practice, you could smoke that Nevesis cat with one foot, and that Ballistic Joe guy with the other. (If you don't know them, well, you get the picture).

You can come out of this situation, once your hands are healed, with feet that will have more chops than you will have imagined if you get on it. Think of how hard it is to sit there and work on footwork without starting to noodle around with your hands... well, now is your chance! Deep down i wish my tendonitis would come back so i could get better feet! [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]

So really, if you spend this time working on getting your feet going, this could give you a foundation that you would have NEVER had if you would have not encountered this blessing in disguise. I developed my hand chops when i was away from my set for a year... only had a pad, a stick control book, and a click. Which leads me to the reason why i moved away from my drums... a girl... and which leads me to my next point (segues are my specialty!)...

As far as the girl goes... Double bass work gets chicks! Work on your feet and they will come flocking... as my friend told me when i was just a kid, "Girls dig bass". Sorry, but really... i have two things to say: 1) This won't be the last, but it does get easier. 2) You're going to college next year, and.. well... you will know what i am talking about when you get there [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]

...trust me [img]wink.gif[/img]

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

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!

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!

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

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

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>

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.

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