How Drummers Can Prevent Back Injury And Carry Their Drums Like a Boss
What Every Marching Percussionist Needs To Know About Back Health
It’s day 5 of camp. You’re nearing the end of a grueling 12 hour rehearsal day and praying your back doesn’t give out on you. Shooting, aching pains reverberate down your spine as you hold on for dear life to make it through the next rep. Sound familiar?
Studies show that up to 80% of marching percussionists experience back pain.
Most of the time, back pain experienced early in the season is temporary as your muscles develop the strength required to carry the weight of the drum. But sometimes the pain may continue or even worsen throughout the season, putting you at risk for developing a serious back injury.
Healthier Back = Better Performance
In drumline, we aim to project strength and confidence. Crab-stepping at 180bpm across the field while wearing a 30-40 pound drum is supposed to look effortless. If anyone has ever picked up a drum and tried to stand up straight, they immediately understand that it is far from effortless.
Coming into the season unprepared causes unhealthy habits to form quickly as performers push through pain to keep up, risking injuries like muscle strains or herniated discs. Unfortunately, this is the norm because most drummers just don’t get the education they need on how (and why) to get their body ready for the season.
The Why: In addition to preventing injury, developing a strong back allows you to worry less about pain and more about nailing each rep.
top 5 tips to protect your back
TIP #1: Healthy Posture
Healthy posture is the foundation for all skilled movement in marching band.
It becomes even more important for sections with increased weight on their spine - like the battery!
One of the biggest risk factors for developing a back injury as a drummer is having poor posture. This happens for two primary reasons:
1. Lack of Knowledge
2. Lack of Strength
Reason #1 for poor posture: Lack of Knowledge
How are you supposed to fix something you don’t know is broken? Or, more commonly, what if you do know something isn’t quite right, but you don’t have the tools to fix it?
This is what often happens when it comes to posture. Performers may not even realize the unhealthy postural compensations they have developed and if they do, they likely do not know how to correct it.
Here’s what you really need to know about healthy posture:
Figure 2: Rounded shoulders vs aligned shoulders
It starts with the Pelvis!
The pelvis plays a crucial role in posture. Studies have shown that pelvic alignment has a significant impact on the positioning of the entire spine as well as the length and power of different muscles.
When you put on your drum, aim for a “neutral pelvis”. One way to do this is to put your hands on your hips and practice tilting your pelvis forward and backward until you find the center.
If you tend to have an anterior pelvic tilt, think about “tucking under” to achieve a neutral pelvis. If you tend toward a more posterior pelvic tilt, think about “lifting up” to achieve a neutral pelvis.
Just remember: The first checkpoint for posture should always be your pelvis.
Avoid Rounded Shoulders
Most people have some degree of rounded shoulders. This causes the upper back to round and the head to push forward.
In marching percussion, it becomes even more difficult to maintain proper shoulder alignment with a carrier strapped around you.
To correct rounded shoulders, try this quick exercise: “Shrug up, Roll Back, and Drop Down.”
Strengthening the muscles in the upper back (e.g., rhomboids, trapezius) and stretching the muscles in the front of the shoulders (e.g., pectoralis minor) will also make a big difference in your ability to keep your shoulders in proper alignment.
Avoid “Turtle-Neck Syndrome” (AKA Forward Head Posture)
“Turtle-Neck Syndrome” is when marching percussionists push their head forward. It is very hard to correct once you’ve gotten used to doing it. I have seen this so often in marching percussionists that I started calling it “turtle-necking.”
The health risk of having a forward neck posture is that it creates increased compression on your cervical spine which can lead to disc problems.
When thinking about your neck positioning, aim to have your ears over your shoulders. Chin tuck exercises can also be a helpful way to work on this problem.
Check out this video to learn more about forward head posture and how to correct it:
Reason #2 for poor posture: Lack of Strength
One of the most common unhealthy compensation patterns in marching percussionists is pushing the hips forward and leaning back in order to hold the drum (see image below). This forces the pelvis into an anterior tilt, increasing the compression on the low spine. This is especially common in quad players.
This occurs when the performer does not have the physical strength to maintain an aligned posture while wearing the drum. This leads to increased pressure on the low back (i.e., lumbar spine). If uncorrected, this compression over time can cause serious back injury such as vertebral disc issues. Tip #2 goes over how to build a stronger back.
TIP #2: Strengthen The Trunk Stabilizers
When it comes to preventing back injury, strength and conditioning cannot be overstated.
But - It is equally important to know what to strengthen and how.
Battery members should focus on developing strength in their trunk. The trunk is the central part of the body excluding the head, neck, and limbs. It is especially important to strengthen the lower trunk muscles to prevent back injury.
In addition to starting the season with a reasonable level of overall fitness, marching percussionists should also incorporate strengthening exercises for the following muscles/muscle groups into their pre-season training:
1. Transverse Abdominus
2. Multifidus
3. Erector Spinae
Beginner Level:
More Advanced:
4. Rectus Abdominus
5. Pelvic Floor Muscles
6. Diaphragm
If all of these videos are overwhelming to you, don’t worry! Just pick one muscle to focus on to start and try to do that exercise once a day for a week, then see how you feel! Remember: doing something is always better than nothing!
Aim to begin strength training 6-8 weeks before camp. This gives your body time to develop strength safely and effectively.
TIP #3: Proper harness fit
One of the most important things you can do for yourself at the beginning of the season is make sure that your carrier is fit with optimal ergonomics! This means that it is adjusted as much as possible to best fit the specific shape and needs of YOUR body.
This is SO important because even if you are the strongest most fit player on the field, if you have a carrier fit to you with poor ergonomics, then you are still at a higher risk for injury.
Conversely, having a proper carrier fit is a great way for members who are NOT as physically fit to reduce their already higher risk for injury.
Depending on what drums your program marches (e.g., Pearl, Yamaha, Dynasty), the specifics of how to adjust your carrier for the best fit can differ significantly.
Make sure to ask your instructor for help!
Check out the video below by Marching Health explaining how to properly fit a carrier for optimal ergonomics:
TIP #4: Consider Wearing a Back Brace
Back braces can be a great option to provide additional stability and support, especially for quads and low bass. However, I often see students wearing a back brace incorrectly, thus providing no benefit. Additionally, you should not use a back brace to replace any strengthening that you should also be doing.
Here are the 3 most common mistakes I see students make:
Getting the wrong size
Wearing it too high
Wearing it too loose
TIP #5: Rest & Recover Like An Athlete
For any elite athlete, rest is not seen as laziness or downtime, but as an active and intentional process that allows their mind and body to recharge and repair. Top athletes know that pushing through fatigue and overtraining can lead to diminishing returns and an increased risk of injury.
In the world of marching arts, this is an area where we still need much improvement. As a rule of thumb, it is recommended that there is a 5-10 minute break for every hour of rehearsal. This means setting down your drum, sitting or lying down, stretching, hydrating, and doing some mental exercises to manage stress and sharpen focus.
Besides resting, there are effective strategies to reduce pain and inflammation after rehearsal:
Stretching
Ice
Foam Roll
Massage
TIP #6: use a lumbar belt “Drum belt”
I am a huge fan of any carrier that implements a lumbar support belt to offset some of the weight of the drum off the low spine and shoulders. In my opinion, this should be a standard implement on every drum harness. My favorite carrier on the market right now is the Pearl Airframe Carrier with the belt. However, there is also a fantastic product called the Drum Belt, that is able to be retrofitted to any drum harness. I recommend it for many students, especially quad players and lower bass drummers. It costs $80 and is available through Steve Weiss Music.
Gentle Reminders
This is not an overnight fix - be patient with yourself and trust the process!
Communicate with your instructor about any pain you are having
If you are worried about serious injury, go see your doctor right away
KEY Takeaways
Start strength training at least 6-8 weeks before band camp
Healthy posture starts with pelvic positioning
Focus on strengthening the trunk stabilizer muscles
Have an athlete mindset
Make sure your carrier is fit to YOUR body!
Pay attention to your body mechanics outside of rehearsal
There are many ways that you can take better care of your back this season. Don’t stress about being perfect and mastering everything right away - just try working on one area to start. Maybe you start doing one exercise before rehearsal. Perhaps you spend some extra time adjusting your carrier before camp this year. Whatever it is - it’s a great start!
References:
Kazeminia M, Rajati F, Rajati M. The effect of pelvic floor muscle-strengthening exercises on low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis on randomized clinical trials. Neurol Sci. 2023 Mar;44(3):859-872. doi: 10.1007/s10072-022-06430-z. Epub 2022 Oct 7. PMID: 36205811.
Schott C, Zirke S, Schmelzle JM, Kaiser C, Fernández LAI. Effectiveness of lumbar orthoses in low back pain: Review of the literature and our results. Orthop Rev (Pavia). 2018 Dec 6;10(4):7791. doi: 10.4081/or.2018.7791. PMID: 30662686; PMCID: PMC6315306.