Toting, tooting, or banging a musical instrument while precision marching around the football field leads to a musculoskeletal injury in one of every four high school students who participate in marching bands. In a study to be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual fall meeting, 70% of the 20,335 marching band injuries treated at our nation’s emergency departments over a recent 9 year period occurred in young women. Half of the injuries involved the lower body, mainly the ankles and knees, while 6% were traumatic brain injuries.

Perhaps not as physically demanding as the sports for which they provide musical accompaniment, playing in a marching band is an athletic activity. The teens who participate spend long hours practicing not only the tunes but also the on-field choreography. The players are called upon to perform in hot uniforms during sometimes adverse weather while carrying instruments that may be heavy such as tubas or bass drums.

Many, but not all, high schools and colleges now require pre-qualification physicals as well as musical auditions. Parents of the adolescent band members as well as the musical department staff should be ever alert and take precautions to prevent physical injuries and dehydration.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-10-band-injuries-wrong-emergency-departments.html
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26046616/

#marchingband #injuries #musculoskeletal #tbi #dehydration #athletics