MARCHING BAND INJURIES

An investigation by the London Daily Mail has revealed the hidden scourge of marching band injuries. Hundreds of musicians in British military bands have been forced to stop playing due to injuries caused by marching and performing at the same time. New official new figures reveal that a total of 348 musicians from the British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force bands had been pulled out of the ranks as of April 1, 2019. Most injuries are due to repetitive strain injuries. This information echoes studies of marching band injuries in the US Journal Of Sports Medicine:
– In some American marching bands as many as one in five piccolo players reported injuries – the highest of any instrument.
– Playing brass and wind instruments inhibited the players’ breathing, making it more difficult to retain their balance.
– Players also suffered from heat stroke due to the demands of summer performances.
– Other injuries include ankle sprains, spinal issues and osteoarthritis.
* Speaking of instruments, hear that sound, marching bands? That’s the world’s smallest violin and I’m playing it just for you.
* There used to be even worse injuries, until they finally removed pianos from marching bands.
* What about getting goosed by the trombone player behind you?
* Or having your lips freeze to the trumpet mouthpiece on a cold day?
* We’ve had marching bands since before Scotsmen played bagpipes on the battlefield. Why are we just hearing about this now?