• Breanna Dufour, Luzita Vela, and Jay Hertel.
• Roanoke, VA, USA. bld6vd@virginia.edu.
• Med Probl Perform Art. 2022 Jun 1; 37 (2): 118-125.

ObjectiveInjury epidemiology and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) have not been researched in baton twirlers. This cross-sectional study described time-loss injuries sustained by competitive collegiate baton twirlers, identified the relationship between training volume and injuries, and established injury impact on HRQOL.MethodsAn online survey was used to collect activity volume, number and characteristics of time-loss injuries experienced within a 12-month window, and HRQOL via the Short Form-36. Current injury status was addressed to place participants into categories: no injury history (No Injury), history of injury but no symptoms (Injury Hx, No Sx), and currently injured (Current Injury).ResultsOne hundred forty-two participants met the inclusion criteria. One hundred twenty-eight (90%) participants experienced a time-loss injury with 295 total reported injuries (2.1±1.4; range 1-9 injuries). Sixty-two percent of all reported injuries were still producing symptoms. There was a high average reported injury severity score (6.3±2.3). The most commonly affected area was the hip/thigh (30%), followed by the knee (15%) and ankle (14%). The Current Injury group had worse SF-36 bodily pain (p=0.003), vitality domains (p=0.001), and physical composite score (p=0.015) compared to the No Injury group. Both the No Injury and Injury Hx, No Sx groups performed better than the Current Injury group on physical function (p=0.007 and 0.02, respectively).ConclusionCompetitive collegiate baton twirlers experience the majority of injuries in the lower extremity which cause prolonged physical and non-physical symptoms.

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