My #1 Tip for Getting Rid of Back Pain on the Drums

 When you’re setting up your kit, don’t set yourself up so far into a corner that you don’t have sufficient leg room at the kit. This is huge for someone 6’4” like myself, but this is an important piece of advice for any drummer. I’ve made the mistake before of not allowing sufficient space behind my kit, which results in having to have the kick drum too close (so that it stays on my drum rug), which in turn results in me sitting too close.

Of course, the simple remedy for this is to sit farther back, right? Well sort of.

As I realized this leg room issue, I began setting my throne farther back to allow ample leg space. I suddenly began experiencing back pain at the drums, which I had never had to deal with before. This was becoming very frustrating...until I realized my mistake.

Even though my arms are pretty long, I was actually having to reach out too far for the rack tom and cymbals. What I didn’t realize at first was that I was leaning forward slightly to compensate for that "far" reach. Constantly leaning forward while playing begins to take a toll on your back - even if that “leaning forward” is only slight. So I pulled the entire kit (except for the kick drum, of course), toward me by about 3 or 4 inches.

Problem solved.

Now I understand that not all back pain is remedied as simply as mine was. There can certainly be other issues causing pain, and that might be something you should consult a medical expert about. However, making this quick adjustment to your kit just might be a solution for you, and it’s absolutely worth trying. This simple “ergonomic adjustment” helped me out a ton, and I instantly felt way more comfortable at the kit.

If you’re experiencing any kind of back pain or fatigue, try doing something like this with your kit. Make sure your kick drum is far enough back and that your leg has enough room to work, but make sure you can still reach everything comfortably without leaning. Simple adjustments like this can seriously pay off!

This is definitely a topic I can make a video on, since that would make it easier to illustrate what I’m talking about. Feel free to give me your feedback!

Stephen