SHINEDOWN's BARRY KERCH Reflects On Elbow Injury Which Nearly Ended His Career

Barry Kerch has had a passion for drumming since the age of seven. His passion turned into a career and he is now the drummer for the multi-platinum band SHINEDOWN. After he sustained an injury to his elbow, Barry's everyday routine was compromised. With the help of the expert team at Northeast Florida's Southeast Orthopedic Specialists, Barry is now once again traveling the world on tour with SHINEDOWN.

In Barry's one-and-a-half-minute testimonial video, he says (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I started having elbow issues — just soreness, maybe overuse from touring. As a band, we work out a lot — we work out every single show day pretty heavily to keep ourselves in shape because it's a pretty high-energy show. So I came home off the tour. My daughter and I were having a dance party in the living room. She kept twirling into me and I kept lifting her up, twirling into me and lifting her up, and we did that all night long. The next morning I woke up and I was, like, 'Oh, this is not good. It kind of hurts.' And I ignored it. And then when it really got bad, I got really nervous. That's when I knew it was time to take a knee and get some help, and I'm glad I did.

"So I ended up with basically severe tennis and golfer's elbow — both sides of the elbow," he continued. "I went to Dr. Murphy [at Southeast Orthopedic Specialists]. He decided that we should do PRP [Platelet-Rich Plasma], which is a shot where they take your own blood, spin it down, get the plasma out of it and reinject it into the area. It was night and day.

"I'd go to physical therapy three days a week, I believe, so quite extensive. And then aside from that, it was the homework. I finished up physical therapy shortly thereafter and I've been great ever since.

"Having that team keep an eye on me, and knowing what I do for a living, like, 'Hey, we've got to get this fixed. This is my career.' I'm back to my full workout plan," he added. "I've been playing shows, touring, playing drums at home. It's been an awesome journey, to have such a scary injury for my career, to be able to come back and feel like new again. Life is good."

SHINEDOWN's latest album, "Planet Zero", produced by bassist Eric Bass, is out now via Atlantic Records. The album debuted in the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and the official U.K. albums chart, and at No. 1 on six other Billboard charts, including Top Album Sales, Rock, Hard Rock and Alternative Albums.

Two months ago, SHINEDOWN canceled its previously announced fall 2022 dates in continental Europe due to "economic and logistical side of touring".

SHINEDOWN's European tour was set to launch on November 7 in Brussels, Belgium and conclude on December 9 in Helsinki, Finland. Among the canceled shows were those in Paris, France; Cologne, Germany; Berlin, Germany; Tilburg, Netherlands; Offenbach, Germany; Zurich, Switzerland; Milan, Italy; Munich, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; Warsaw, Poland; Copenhagen, Denmark; Oslo, Norway and Stockholm, Sweden.

SHINEDOWN's U.K. dates with ASKING ALEXANDRIA and ZERO 9:36 kicked off on November 26 in Cardiff and concluded on December 1 in London.