[bkearns]

Does anyone have pain holding sticks when playing? I was diagnosed with osteo arthritis and after playing for a cetain period of time, my hands really hurt and start to go numb. Does anyone suggest tapping up the hands?

Thanks

[CJDG]

You might want to invest into different sticks. Go to a local drum shop that will let you try Easton's brand of sticks. They are aluminum sticks with a plastic sleeve and tip. But the sticks
have vibration reduction due to the way they are constructed. It might just be enough to reduce
the shock your hands get from normal sticks.

[drum_addict09]

I have severe tenditious in both my wrists and because of this the bones in my wrists all all out of place and my chriropracter advised to tape my wrists by holding my pinkie and thumb together and then taping them. this keeps the tendions in their proper allignment

[CJDG]

Maybe trying something like this? Wrist Tendonitis Tendinitis
I would think that tape would cause too much discomfort.

But still.. you might want to invest time in learning the different sytles of sticking... maybe even try out Moeller's obeservations... Don't shoot me for this guys... but people do call this the Moeller Method...even though he didn't really invent it. Chapin took Moeller's observations and ran with them pretty good... but within the Moeller style of sticking you can use just the pinky as the source holding the sticks.

See which type of sticking causes less irritation. And the obvious, employ some form of warm up and cool down to your playing. I hope things get better for ya.

[Sean Francis]

I find that some gentle wrist stretches help to ease the strain a little bit before playing, in between songs, and after playing. The repetitive motion is a big part of where the strain comes from; also, try sleeping in wrist braces for a while. I used to have really bad wrist problems, so the doctor advised me to start sleeping in wrist braces and things have gotten much better.

As for sticks, I've heard that the Eastman sticks mentioned above are good, and Zildjian makes an Anti-vibe stick, if you prefer the natural feel of wood, that employs a rubber core to stop most of the shock from absorbing into your hands/wrists.

Good luck!

	Zildjian Cymbals Shop for Zildjian Cymbals at Musician's Friend

[juan (the ping-pong ref.)]

Look for larger diameter sticks. those should be easier on your hands.