Aims: Marching band camp injuries were recorded over the course of 1 week (10 field practices) to determine injury rate for preseason.
Methods: Members were instructed to self-report any type of injury that occurred. The collected data were coded and analyzed for total injuries and injuries per section. The injury counts, along with total practices and band members per section, were used to calculate injury rate per 1,000 exposures for total injury and injury per section.
Results: There were a total of 191 injuries reported in 1,540 practice exposures. The overall injury rate was 124.03/1,000 exposures. The instrument with the highest injury rate was the mellophone (220.0/1,000 exposures), followed by the trombone (190.0/1,000 exposures), and percussion (184.62/ 1,000 exposures). The instrument with the lowest injury rate was the clarinet (43.75/1,000 exposures).
Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that marching band is a strenuous activity and deserves to be considered an area of emerging practice for athletic trainers and other health care professionals.