The Performing Arts PT

It’s going to be a fun June 😄

Been away a bit online, working behind the scenes, so excited and prepping for some big things.

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What do YOU think I’m working on? 😏💙💙💙

*Love a historic repost! 💙❤️

Created this one last Memorial Day and have even had the opportunity to play my coronet a few times with the family at home!

Check out the history below 🎺🇺🇸

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☺️ May is Hypermobility and EDS (Ehlers Danlos Syndrome) Awareness Month…and while some may shy away from performing arts and sports based on their symptoms, participating can actually be really helpful for children and adults that can tolerate it, even at a lighter intensity 💙

Performers who are hypermobile may have a major advantage with the joint motions needed for choreography, but proceed with caution ⚠️ pushing hypermobility even further can cause injury ⚠️

➡️ Please seek out a healthcare provider knowledgeable in hypermobility and EDS diagnoses if you need further assessment and treatment 💗

Journal article: Nicholson, Leslie & Adams, Roger & Tofts, Louise & Pacey, Verity. (2017). Physical and Psychosocial Characteristics of Current Child Dancers and Nondancers With Systemic Joint Hypermobility: A Descriptive Analysis. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. 47. 1-28.

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Tightness + soreness with impact? Save and Share this with your performers and athletes! 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♂️🏃🏽

Shin splints may involve the Tibialis Anterior muscle, a muscle that lifts up your foot, performing dorsiflexion with walking and running.

Increased risk?
✅ Tight calves
✅ Lack of strength or conditioning
✅ Quick ramp up in training
✅ Unsprung floors
✅ Lack of shoes or inappropriate shoe selection??

If you have sharp pain with impact, like running or jumping, please seek out medical assessment as shin splints may be a warning sign of a bone stress injury that needs further evaluation. 

Follow for more performing arts tips and tricks! 💙

Taken’ care of business with my head on a swivel…especially when the potato sack races are going 😆

Thankful to have the opportunity to “work” at my kids’ Field Days over the years—and use my emergency response training for fixing some boo boos and getting them back to having a great time ❤️

What was your favorite part about field day when you were a kid?

(My answer in comments)

Injury response tips for performers & teachers coming soon! Follow for more 💙

🤯 All the feels 😩 As a performer, how do these numbers make YOU feel?

And our highest risk population? Our young adult performers. Research shows college-age adults tend to have the highest anxiety + depression rates—and that combined with being a performer? 😳

Anxiety symptoms:
🧠 24% in dancers, 32% in opera singers (Thomson & Jaque, 2016b)
🧠 52% in acting students (Searl et al., 2019)
🧠 60% in actors (Brodsky, 2001)
🧠 90% of rock musicians (Raeburn, 1987)

For our performing sports, gymnastics + figure skating, research indicates that elite gymnasts face significant mental health challenges, with about one-third (34%) reporting high levels of anxiety related to their sport. Competitive pressures, fear of failure, and the need to appear joyful despite falling or mistakes contribute to high anxiety levels, with studies indicating a 47% anxiety caseness in some groups (Jederström 2023).

Additional reference:  https://worldmetrics.org/mental-health-in-athletes-statistics/

May is Mental Health Awareness Month 💗 Follow for more performing arts content and wellness tips 🧠💙

Take away the eyes…
and lose body awareness? 😳

We know when we close our eyes and try to keep our balance on one leg, it’s a lot more challenging than eyes open.

But being dependent on your vision can also limit your awareness in space, even if you’re on two feet. And adding in rotation? EVERY moving performer or athlete has to rotate DAILY.

Trying this works your vestibular system as a test (and exercise) of that vision dependency.

What does this mean for performers and athletes?
😩 Increased injury risk when you’re in dimly lit environments
😩 Challenges with recovery when that proprioception is limited because of swelling or nerve injury
😩 Decreased performance because not all systems are being used efficiently 

➡️ What can you do?
Follow for ideas on integrating vision, vestibular, and proprioceptive training for performers and athletes to help decrease injury risk 💙

Thank you .moves for showing us how this all works! 💙💙💙