Ways to avoid pain when playing drums for long time periods?

Question

I play the drums 2-3 times a week at my church services. Each service is about two hours long and I alternate between loud, medium-tempo to slow, steady stuff for extended periods. Recently, I've noticed pain in my hands while doing rim-shots as well as shoulder/back pain that can last for a while afterward. I didn't have this issue a few months ago, so I'm wondering if this is a result of bad technique or something (I'm semi self-taught). Are there any stretches or warm-ups I should be doing or specific pitfalls to avoid when playing for long stretches of time?

Answer 1

I had bad posture for awhile and would often have tightness in my shoulders, back pain, and eventually developed tendinitis. I took a break from playing and when I started back up I raised the snare drum while keeping almost everything else the same. I raised it to the point that if I slouched down at all I would only hit the rim of the snare. This acted as a good reminder to sit up straight. For years after making that change I never had any other issues.

While this help me, please note that you could have other issues and might want to get some advice from a drummer that is familiar with your playing or at least can watch you play to see what may be wrong. Seeing a physical therapist or doctor couldn't hurt either. I saw a wrist specialist when I was having issues and he mentioned that what we eat, how much sleep we get and our overall health play a big part in how our bodies respond to overuse. Not welcome news for a college student rocker. Some other life style changes may be in order as well and I did make some life style changes.

Good luck.