Drummer Health
Hearing, wrists and backs — the parts of a drummer that wear out, what the research says about why, and the habits and gear that keep you playing for decades.
Drumming is a physical job done at a volume that damages ears, with a repetitive motion that wears out wrists, from a seat that most drummers set up wrong. None of that is a reason to stop; all of it is a reason to know what you are doing to yourself. The drummers who play into their seventies are not the lucky ones — they are the ones who protected their hearing early and fixed their posture before it hurt.
Start with hearing, because that damage does not come back, then the wrists and the back. The gear each one points to — earplugs, thrones, pads — lives in accessories. Nothing here is medical advice: if something hurts and keeps hurting, see someone who can examine you.
Latest in Drummer Health

Advice for Drummers
Drummers and hearing loss | The numbers, and the fix
How loud a drum kit really is, how long your ears can take it, what the research says, the first signs of damage, and the one habit that fixes it.

Advice for Drummers
Posture at the kit | Throne height, back pain, the spine
How to set up a drum kit so it does not hurt: throne height, pedal distance, snare and cymbal heights, the neck, and what drummers who had surgery learned.

Advice for Drummers
Drummer's wrist | Tendonitis, RSI and how to avoid it
Why drummers' wrists hurt: tendonitis, De Quervain's and carpal tunnel explained, the grip and gear changes that prevent them, and when to see a doctor.