[vishnu692]

Hello everyone, I'm new to this forum and I couldn't find a thread which was relevant to my problem, so I made a new thread. Well, I've been playing drums since one and a half year. Recently, about 2-3 months ago, I started losing my speed on the bass drum and my foot started to get tired very quickly. Now I can't even play consistently at 100 BPM. I also feel a lot of pain in my shins and calf muscles. I have a flat foot.

So my question is, does having a flat foot really affect your playing? I got an artificial arch inserted in my shoes and I feel a little better now. I play heel up, btw. Also, I have seen that I can not play fast with my foot as my foot get tired easily (I have reached 140 BPM with my foot so far *shame shame* ). So, can you guys give any tip(s) regarding this flat foot problem?

Thanks in advance.

[Poco Askew]

It doesn't seem like flat feet would make any difference. You're up on your toe / not walking long distances or running (impact).

[vishnu692]

 Poco Askew, on 25 June 2012 - 07:25 AM, said:

It doesn't seem like flat feet would make any difference. You're up on your toe / not walking long distances or running (impact).

Thanks for a quick reply. It's a relief to know that flat foot has nothing to do with this. Also there's one more thing that I forgot to mention; sometimes my toe swells after playing drums. And it might sound odd, but my left foot is more faster than my right foot, even though I started playing double bass a few months back. So, is it just a common problem that all drummers face or does it have anything to do with a bad technique/weak foot/flat foot?

Thanks again.

This post has been edited by vishnu692: 25 June 2012 - 08:05 AM

[einarabelc5]

Too much thinking, the answer is no. I'm flat footed. It's either your pedal technique or your pedal configuration.

[Poco Askew]

I don't think either a swelling toe or right foot faster are common. Some people are left footed or right footed much like left or right handed but that's the only thing I can think of to explain that part of it.

[einarabelc5]

There's an article on foot injuries caused by drumming. Although the knee and the fascia on the foot plant are mentioned the only reason I can link to toe pain is to big toe deviation caused by flat foot(your big toe is going against the rest of them)

See results here:

http://www.drummagaz...24d0d7d2e4907a/

[JBoom]

I'd say the first thing you should do is see a doctor and make sure there isn't a more serious issue going on that would be causing the symptoms you're experiencing.

Given a rule out there, try working with different throne heights and/or foot gear (do you wear anything or go bare footed?).

[bnsfnut]

I agree you should go to the doctor to make sure you don't have a serious problem. Also, I play with a single pedal and can drum some songs where double pedal is used. When I play straight 16ths, for example, I curve my toes in (I wear shoes while playing). I've sorta done this naturally but I was thinking maybe you could try it.

[vishnu692]

 Poco Askew, on 25 June 2012 - 02:04 PM, said:

I don't think either a swelling toe or right foot faster are common. Some people are left footed or right footed much like left or right handed but that's the only thing I can think of to explain that part of it.

Okay, now I'm tensed. I'm right footed and I started playing double bass a few months back. I have a habit of playing hi-hat with my left foot while playing on ride or any other cymbal with my right hand. Maybe that's why I developed my left foot muscles.

Thanks.

[vishnu692]

 einarabelc5, on 25 June 2012 - 04:09 PM, said:

There's an article on foot injuries caused by drumming. Although the knee and the fascia on the foot plant are mentioned the only reason I can link to toe pain is to big toe deviation caused by flat foot(your big toe is going against the rest of them)

See results here:

http://www.drummagaz...24d0d7d2e4907a/

Thanks a lot, but this link does not work. What is big toe deviation btw? I Googled it and I don't think I have that problem. Can you be more clear?

Thanks

 JBoom, on 25 June 2012 - 04:45 PM, said:

I'd say the first thing you should do is see a doctor and make sure there isn't a more serious issue going on that would be causing the symptoms you're experiencing.

Given a rule out there, try working with different throne heights and/or foot gear (do you wear anything or go bare footed?).

OK, I'll go and see a doctor. This swelling problem is very rare though (happens 2 out 0f 50 times). But I'll not take any risks. And yes, I wear jogging shoes while playing drums. And for the throne height, I keep it on my highest peg. One peg lower, and I feel uncomfortable.

 bnsfnut, on 25 June 2012 - 05:07 PM, said:

I agree you should go to the doctor to make sure you don't have a serious problem. Also, I play with a single pedal and can drum some songs where double pedal is used. When I play straight 16ths, for example, I curve my toes in (I wear shoes while playing). I've sorta done this naturally but I was thinking maybe you could try it.

I use a double pedal and use slide technique with my right foot. Yes, I curve my toes when I play fast or when I don't have much energy left. I can play three consecutive 16th notes with the slide technique but not the 16th note triplets. Do you use any particular technique for playing, like heel-toe, swivel, slide etc.?

[einarabelc5]

 vishnu692, on 25 June 2012 - 09:03 PM, said:

Thanks a lot, but this link does not work. What is big toe deviation btw? I Googled it and I don't think I have that problem. Can you be more clear?

Go here
:

http://www.drummagazine.com/

search for injuries.


I meant Bunion, first search result in google for deviated toe:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunion

[vishnu692]

Hello everyone. I went to the doctor today. He said I have nothing unusual, I've just overstressed my muscles. He has asked me to take a pause from the drumming for a week so that my muscles can recover. I'll do that and see if this helps.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Happy drumming!

This post has been edited by vishnu692: 27 June 2012 - 12:11 AM

[einarabelc5]

 vishnu692, on 27 June 2012 - 12:10 AM, said:

Hello everyone. I went to the doctor today. He said I have nothing unusual, I've just overstressed my muscles. He has asked me to take a pause from the drumming for a week so that my muscles can recover. I'll do that and see if this helps.

Thanks everyone for the replies. Happy drumming!

Please read the link I posted. I also have an injury thread around here somewhere. That must be lack of warmup/cooldown.

[vishnu692]

 einarabelc5, on 27 June 2012 - 01:43 PM, said:

Please read the link I posted. I also have an injury thread around here somewhere. That must be lack of warmup/cooldown.

Hey einarabelc5, thanks for the links. I asked the doctor if I had any kind of deformation in my leg or not. Fortunately, he said no. So, I don't have bunion. But he did say that my calf muscles are stiff and are prone to injuries. (Any suggestions for loosening the muscles?)

And I searched for the "injuries" on drummagazine.com and read the related articles. They were a lot of help. Thanks!

Also I used to practice for 2-3 hours everyday when my legs were fine. And I kept playing even if I had pain in my legs. And for stretching, all I did was some calf raising. So yes, maybe a lack of warmup and cooldown is a significant factor.

Thanks once again!

This post has been edited by vishnu692: 28 June 2012 - 08:24 AM

[Poco Askew]

 vishnu692, on 28 June 2012 - 08:22 AM, said:

And for stretching, all I did was some calf raising.

Calf raises aren't stretches. They are resistance training.
Try the typical runners' stretches.