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Old Guy Elbow & Shoulder Pain

Started by donelk, March 13, 2008, 12:05 PM

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donelk

I'm a 50 year old percussionist/srummer and play a lot. Like so many of us, I have been aware of possible tendonitis as we over-use and/or grow older.  For years I have been working with tennis elbow. I've done both traditional and non-traditional stuff and have done a fairly good job of managing it.

Around the new year I played 5 high-energy gigs in 4 weeks... lots of volume and long hours. It looks like I hurt myself.   :'(

My elbows, and now shoulders, are still quite sore. Using the techniques I know, I've SLOWLY been improving. I'm impatient.

So group, what advice can you give me?

felix

I have a bad shoulder blade.  And luckily got over my tennis elbow which I had a bout with last year.

I basically just pop bunches and bunches of advil although my one drum teacher used to get shots for his shoulder, which I'm about ready to do with mine.

I really can't deal with a chiropractor.

So yes, I take drugs for my pain  ::)  Maybe not the best way to go, but it helps.

I also keep popping glucosamine tabs.  They seem to give me some relief in my knees as well.

donelk

Felix, getting older sucks... er... nevermind.

I have had a shot in my elbow years ago, but I just don't wanna do that again.

I have been considering the glucosomine tabs. What dose are you taking? Does it upset your stomach.

Yes, I pop advil too  :D

felix

Well, I have this salve that I rub on sore muscles that is really good.  It's called Badger Balm Rub *all natural*  http://www.badgerbalm.com/pc-18-2-sore-muscle-rub.aspx]http://www.badgerbalm.com/pc-18-2-sore-muscle-rub.aspx

The stuff works amazingly well.  It's an overnight thing.  I put it on and the next day I feel better.  I have also been taught by some great drummers that any natural pain remedy is worth checking out and will help one stay focused during long practice sessions- read into that how you will.

My friend (a drummer) goes to the chiropractor every two weeks.  I just don't want to get into that rut.

My other friend (bass player our age) got strung out on pain pills- serious ones and was even up to wearing prescribed morphine patches for pain!  It took him forever to get cleaned up it seemed and I'm not sure he is totally; he's better now last I talked to him but was a mess.  So the "hard" stuff I don't fool with. 

The glucosamine tabs are ok.  Side effects are gas so I only take one tab instead of the recommended three tabs a day.  I have less joint pain I think because of them.  And since I'm going to start jogging again this spring I want to get a head start on lubing them up!

Hot tubs and saunas don't hurt either. 

The other big one for me is not overworking my bod.

Good luck managing your pain my brother!


JeffK

Lot's of good advice.

I would suggest a little extra stretching before playing and after, just to help relax the muscles a bit. Plenty of water before a show or night of playing. Staying hydrated is really important and you have to make sure that you drink enough a few hours before in order to get your body fluids up to par. If your getting dehydrated during a show it's too late, it takes time to build up.

It doesn't hurt to get a little extra help loading and unloading your equipment as well. I've done more dammage to myself lifting hardware cases at the end of the night when I was physically exhausted than from actually playing.

Obviously a good massage every once in a while does wonders.

The Chiroprator is a good alternative, my back has been fixed rescued many times.

Try a good vitamin supplement as well.

I used a pair of those wrist bands desogned to stabalize your wrist a couple years ago when I was having hand pain and a weaker grip in my left hand. It did wonders and my hand felt great at the end of th night. I'm not sure if it was scientific or just in my mind, but it did work.

Rest is always the best.

donelk

Thanks guys! 

Two things jumped out at me with the last post...

1... I need to hydrate better.

2... A nap! 

:)

DR

Also, consider soaking in Epsom Salt solution and, yeah, getting a good diagnosis from your physician.

skeelsd

I'm feeling your pain too. And I am turning 50 this year. Tennis elbow sidelined me the last two weeks. I am going to pick up sticks today and see what happens.

dmhdrums

Well... I'm only 16 and having shoulder problems...
I play anywhere from 5-10 hours a day and I play snare in marching band, which is about 30 lbs on my shoulders/back for several hours a day during marching season. At the beginning of last winter drumline season, my right shoulder had been reduced to where it hurt to touch my left elbow from behind my back. Almost like clockwork my left shoulder is getting more injured to the point where it also hurts to reach my right elbow behind my back.
I tried shoulder exersises for quite a while and didn't get any results so I stopped. For now I push through the pain and try to make sure I still use as much of the range of motion as I can to make sure they don't lock up like my mom's did. I take some Advil before shows or extended rehearsals, too.
I think I need to see a doctor but my parents don't agree with me. What do you guys think?

Lou

Quote from: dmhdrums on August 27, 2008, 06:12 PM
Well... I'm only 16 and having shoulder problems...

I think I need to see a doctor but my parents don't agree with me. What do you guys think?

I think you should see a doctor ... pronto. You're young and your body is still a major construction site. Be careful not to develop a chronic issue that will handicap you for the rest of you life. Age 50 chronic pains are for many part of life, 16 is way to young.

You seem passionate about your drumming but 5-10 hours a day might be a little to much and dragging a 30 pound weight on your shoulder for several hours for sure is a recipe to develop injuries ... well, unless you're a 300 pound 7 foot NFL nose guard.

So be careful and see a doctor!

Grtz, Lou

Schlagzeuger

I just turned 47.  I've been dealing with a bad back and shoulder for several years now.  The aches and pains come and go - sometimes worse than others.  Like someone else mentioned, you should do serious stretching before playing.  And afterward, my best advice is to ice down the problem areas.  That works wonders for my shoulder and back, whether I'm plyaing or working out at the gym.  The next day I try to get in my hot tub for a good soak.  But if I get in hot water soon after I play or work out, that makes things worse due to swelling.

Robyn

Quote from: dmhdrums on August 27, 2008, 06:12 PM
Well... I'm only 16 and having shoulder problems...

I think I need to see a doctor but my parents don't agree with me. What do you guys think?

I think this is alarming, that you are having to pop Advil regularly and "push through the pain."  It's also alarming to me, as both a parent and a nurse, that your parents are blowing this off. You DO need to see a dr, and I hope you have by now.

robyn

Erk

Dude I'd see a doctor real quick. My drum teachers told me about stuff like that. Just chill out for awhile, your killing your self man. It's great your passionate, but unless you want your drumming career to be over at 16, I'd see a doctor real quick. I'm 18, and deal with a leg problem, and I have metal in my leg, I'm just so happy I'm able to play without feeling pain. So for real man, see a doctor, practice a little less, and maybe ask to play something else in marching band, maybe mallets for right now. I dont know man, the decision is up to you, but if you really want to play drums longer than 16 years old, see a doctor.

-EML.

eardrum

Quote from: dmhdrums on August 27, 2008, 06:12 PM
Well... I'm only 16 and having shoulder problems...
I play anywhere from 5-10 hours a day and I play snare in marching band, which is about 30 lbs on my shoulders/back for several hours a day during marching season. At the beginning of last winter drumline season, my right shoulder had been reduced to where it hurt to touch my left elbow from behind my back. Almost like clockwork my left shoulder is getting more injured to the point where it also hurts to reach my right elbow behind my back.
I tried shoulder exersises for quite a while and didn't get any results so I stopped. For now I push through the pain and try to make sure I still use as much of the range of motion as I can to make sure they don't lock up like my mom's did. I take some Advil before shows or extended rehearsals, too.
I think I need to see a doctor but my parents don't agree with me. What do you guys think?

Are you also carrying a backpack loaded with 50 lbs of books like I see at schools all the time now?  If it's slung over one shoulder, that could be a big source of the problem.  Never carry something heavy on one side if you can avoid it and definately not regularly. 

You probably need to work with a physical therapist to get to what's ailing you and develop an appropriate regiment.  Don't let this go. Tell your parents a bunch of 50+ drummers INSIST!!

NRHarris

Get a steroid shot for tennis elbow (lateral tendinitis of the elbow).

I have dealt with this for years, but I hesitate to take the time out of work to get the operation for it (which works very well) so I just get a steroid shot about once every 6 months for my tennis elbow. Stops it immediately, dead in it's tracks. No pain at all. Have your doctor use some numbing medicine mixed with the steroid, and the pain will literally be gone in about 5 seconds. It may ache a little the next day, but after that no more pain. I have found that the time period that I require for injections is getting longer and longer.

Steroid shots for this problem are not dangerous (steroids can cause tendons to "atrophy", so you don't want to get repeated steroid shots, for example, in a finger or anyplace near a tendon). Atrophy of the part of the muscle that originates at that bony bump on the side of your elbow (the lateral epicondyle) is what you WANT to happen - the operation simply cuts this section of the muscle/bone away.

Go ahead and knock yourself out with special splints, stretching, therapy, pills (I've tried all of this), but all of them have been a waste of time for me.

It does temporarily make your elbow feel better if you go to the gym, tie a rubber strap up high on a bracket, twist the involved side's wrist up in the strap, and then "hang" from the strap, pulling on your elbow. You can even use a light weight in your other hand to increase the pull. This is what my therapist had me do. It felt better for awhile, but quickly came back. This therapy is just another way of trying to pull the origin of that muscle off of that little bone, so it doesn't hurt anymore.

Realize that you don't NEED to have the muscle originate on that bony point (it is an embryological remnant), as the muscle is also attached for a long way on one of the bones in you forearm, so function does not change with elimination of that small piece of bone and muscle. Just no more pain.

Good luck.

dmhdrums

So... over 90 days later, according to the the DC, I did go to the doctor about a month ago and I had shoulder impingement. Basically the "ball" slides around inside the "socket" of the joint becaue of a muscle imbalance. I took some serious RX painkillers and slowed down playing for a while, in adition to doing exercises to rebuild my muscle. I am almost back to normal as far as range of motion and very rarely do I have pain.
Anyway, I'm doing fine now that I have time to get back on the DC.

Mark Counts

I am turning 48 in a few months and I have had lot's of Right shoulder pain this past year. I am using a rub called Capzasin wich Paul Harvey recommends. It is amazing but wash your hands really good after applying it. It is really hot and I don't mean menthol either. I mean the more you use the effected area the hotter it gets. I also take Aleve fairly regularly. I found something called SAMe that seems like it is working fairly well and like Felix I take the Glucosamine sulfate tabs. I am trying to stay away from the drugs and the shots. I am happy to say that my shoulder is getting better but bench pressing is what fired it up, not drumming. Also, working over your head can do it too.
                Nutty

Chip Donaho

As a guy older than most of you, I can only say playing drums is much better than many sports or weight lifting. After my car accident I asked my doctor if I could do any sports again. Because of the screws in my hip and a rod in my leg he said I can no longer downhill ski or waterski. But playing drums is something he said I should continue to do. "Chip, for all the abuse your body has taken over the years. I attribute your playing drums has kept you in better shape than many people your age. Your legs, arms, and heart gets a better workout than many runners get." I was very surprised to hear that from an old friend who's seen me abuse my body since our high school days. Motorcycle racing, playing, and roofing has a way of taking its toll on the old bod.  :P

MOUSE

QuoteIt doesn't hurt to get a little extra help loading and unloading your equipment as well. I've done more dammage to myself lifting hardware cases at the end of the night when I was physically exhausted than from actually playing.

Too true,i was lifting my stand case (40kg) into the back of the van after a gig on a cold night and wrenched my arm muscles causing nagging pains and stiffness. At one point i was so stiff that when i was talking on the phone and then went to put it back down on the reciver, i couldn't ;D.
This happened 9 months ago and i'm currently waiting to see a specialist following an xray and then MRI scan which showed up some deep damage.  Hope the cure is better than the cause, something i'll have to weigh up i guess.

I take gluco combined with bee venom capsules which is a natural cortisone, and they seem to work. I also found a sports elbow support has eased the pains some, must be the heat or support generated from wearing it  ???


P.S i can update as i saw the specialist today. Apparently my injury which was initially a bad strain/sprain has agravated an arthritic condition i didn't know i had until now. Apparently once you get it , it gets worse, in his words "rust never sleeps".Took them 9 months to work that out, and there is no cure for arthur, so i'll have to live with it. Joys of getting old huh.  ::)

Definitely going to have to look at a second cymbal stand case to reduce the post gig weight lifting session.
 ???how much per hour do roadies charge  ;D

A friend recommended acupuncture for pain relief, anyone tried this and had success?

Mark Counts

I have noticed a lot more of this lately on one shoulder and one elbow. The shoulder is probably age and the elbow is because I keep bumping it. Seems like only Aleve helps me. Pain that is. Anything else, There is no help for me :o!!