Circus Movement & Injury Research

Please support artists of color! Let’s help them through this time so they can soar onstage again!

So many great messages in this new short film from SHIFT Movement Science and Gymnastics Education. Applies to circus, dance and other sports as well. "For kids... because you want to develop the love of the sport. They’ve got to love the sport to work hard later, because if they’re not there, you are going to push them out of the sport." -Tom Meadows https://youtu.be/foGBOBMdiXc

So grateful to NECCA - New England Center for Circus Arts for being a site for my injury research. Please support them during this difficult time and enjoy an awesome line up!

Telling the story of the empowerment and healing that comes from pole dancing! Bravo for creating this film!

I deeply appreciate the efforts of the American Circus Educators Association to improve the safety of our circus community. Please read this update.

I had a great time presenting my first injury study at #aceedcon2020! There were so many great questions from the attendees. Thanks everyone for coming! It was a pleasure to share the session with @pearlresearchlab. This research center is doing amazing wiork with circus arts and dancers! I also really enjoyed learning more about mental health for circus artists from @cirque_psych on Wednesday. There is so much great programming at this conference so sign-up if y...ou haven't already. There is more than a week left and registration is on a sliding scale. Next Thursday I will be joined by my Samuel Merritt University colleague, Preeti Nair, PT, PhD to talk about this 3D motion analysis study looking at straight-arm and bent-arm straddle inversions. We will talk about what we've learned so far, how this will help us to understand movement-related factors in injury as well as what we plan to look at next. As soon as we can get back in the lab we will be looking for more aerialists for this research too! @carliehuberman will also be part of our session presenting her student research project looking at circus shoulders. Come join us! #circusscience #circademic #circusresearch #circusmovement #circusinjuryresearch #inversion #straddleinversion #aerialistsofig #aerialsilks #aerialrope #trapeze #lyra #motionanalysis #motionanalysisresearchcenter #performingartsphysicaltherapy

Looking forward to sharing what I learned from this injury study at the American Circus Educators Conference next week. This will be part of a joint session with Dr. Rogier van Rijn who will talk about the injury research @codarts. Come join us! This conference is the most accessible it's been in an all virtual format with a sliding scale. #circus #circademic #circusresearch #circusinjuryresearch #circusarts

Over the weekend I attended a memorial for a dear friend @kennethmiles7079 from my college days. This is my favorite photo of us doing some self-care and being silly while spending a weekend with friends on this lake in Canada. Kenneth was a gentle giant, well except on the football field. He had a heart of gold and was the friend who would always be there when you needed him. He was a driven leader which shaped a career that touched the lives of countless student athletes. A...nd he lived life to the fullest, with a hearty laugh that was infectious and always finding time for an adventure with friends. I don't know anyone who worked, loved or played harder. While no one can fill his shoes, we can all learn from his example. May the love he gave to the world hold up his family. #gonetoosoonbutneverforgotten #workhardplayhard #gentlegiant #blacklivesmatter

I've had the pleasure of working with 2 fantastic groups of circus artists in the last couple weeks @@awol_flyco and the Elements Training Company @thecircusproject! This work started as a collaboration with @cyr_ious_kate in 2019 to provide some additional education to help the company members stay healthy through the intensive year of training. And the good news is they had less injuries than previous years! It starts with a 1-on-1 wellness screening visit where I eva...luate each artist, talk about their training challenges and past injuries, and then I provide some education and exercises to add to their training to help prevent injury and maximize performance. This is followed by a workshop "Enhancing Wellness & Peformance in a Professional Circus Training Program" where I apply wellness concepts from sports medicine and science to preparation for an intensive circus training program. This year we also spent time talking about safety and workload management with return to training in Covid times. Programs like this are commonplace in sports but very limited in the performing arts. I would love to see this grow so circus artists in intensive programs can make the most out of their investment in these programs!

We did not bring her justice. We must continue to educate ourselves about the systemic racism that permeates our country so that we can unravel and eliminate it. We need to do so much better! #blacklivesmatter #breonnataylor #breonnataylorslifematters

Join us online Tuesday morning, September 22nd for the UCSF CCMBM and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Scientific Retreat - Great Performances: Stretching the Limits of Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine. @cyr_ious_kate will be telling the story of her journey as a circus artist in a keynote address and I will be part of an invited panel discussing science and medicine in performing artists Registration is free! #performingartsmedicine #circusmedicine #performingartsphysicaltherapy #performingartsphyio #performingartsphysicaltherapist #circusphysio #circusphysiotherapy #circusscience #circademic #circusinjury #circusinjuryprevention #circusartist #circusjourney #cyrwheel #ucsf

Looking forward to being part of an invited panel to discuss science and medicine in performing artists at the UCSF CCMBM and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Scientific Retreat - Great Performances: Stretching the Limits of Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine. Kate Law, a dear friend and talented circus artist will be giving a keynote. Come join us Tuesday morning, September 22nd. See the link below for free registration! https://ccmbm.ucsf.edu/2020-retreat

@odcsf Healthy Dancers Clinic is celebrating dancers' wellness through the Month for Dancers' Health. Register for the free online workshops at https://odc.dance/DancersHealthMonth. "Returnng to dance and dancing at home: Your safety through Covid-19 is part of the offerings. Please join @sfperformingarts_pt, @itsadanaday and me, as we discuss these topics: Managing Covid-19 precautions in the dance studio.... Safety considerations dancing in alternate spaces such as at home and outdoors. Physical preparation for your transition back to dance. ??And if you join us live we can also answer your questions! Pictured: @dana_lawton_dances (Stay tuned for info about the premiere of their new show "Farallonites" this November!) Jon Altemus #dancingoutside #dancingathome #dancinginmasks #returntodance #returntodanceschool #returntothestudio #exercisingwithmasks #performingartsmedicine #performingartsphysicaltherapy #performingartsphysiotherapy #dancemedicine #dancemedicineandscience #dancephysicaltherapy #dancephysiotherapy

@odcsf is celebrating dancers' wellness through the Month for Dancers’ Health. Physicians, Nutritionists, and PTs who specialize in dancers' health and are dedicated to treating mobility for bodies of all kinds have joined together to offer an array of online workshops, panels, and pre-recorded videos available throughout the month of September. I have the pleasure of joining @sfperformingarts_pt and @micayasf to talk about staying healthy as a hip hop dancer. Join us live and we can answer your questions! See you online Sunday at 10am PST/1pm EST! Thanks to @brandichun @tam_rapp247 for the photos! #dancershealth #danceinjuryprevention #hiphopinjury #hiphopdance #dancemedicinephysicaltherapy #dancemedicineandscience #performingartsphysicaltherapy #performingartsphysio #sfinternationalhiphopdancefest

It can be really challenging to stay positive with constant news of social injustice, performing artists and many others out of work, as well as wildfires and record setting heat in California. We must pay attention to the bright spots to help us persevere through this difficult time. Here are a few of my bright spots getting me through. Learning about black circus history and my new shirt from @unclejrproject Professional circus training programs opening up for... the Fall @necca_circus @awoldance @thecircusproject. Getting to talk about wellness and smart training with @awol_flyco and the Training Company @thecircusproject Joining forces with @odcsf @sfperformingarts_pt @itsadanaday @micayasf to educate the dance community about staying healthy as studios start to reopen, hip hop movement and injuries Getting my first haircut with Jamie since February in the clean and safe environment @17jewelssalon Always my family @ragreens What are your bright spots? #performingartsmedicine #performingartsphysicaltherapy #circusphysio #wellness #gratitude #blacklivesmatter

Great opportunity for artists of color!

We are in the home stretch of completing this longitudinal prospective study of injuries in circus artists. Across 2 cohorts, involving 10 cities, we've enrollled 202 circus artists based in the United States. The study will conclude in February 2021. I've had the pleasure to travel, often with my daughter in tow, to each of these training centers that hosted the study. @thecircusproject @eshcircusarts @necca_circus @circadiumschool @versatilearts @skycandyaustin @kinet...icartscenter @mothccc @kinetictheorycircus @acrosports Such beautiful spaces and amazing people! My study coordinator @saraahhhhhh____ has worked hard to keep everyone on top of their weekly training logs and organize spreasheets for analysis. She has the hardest job! My team of study physical therapists have done baseline physical assessments and evaluated all the injuries that have happened during the study. @painandpancakes @mghentis @buffertrenouthpt @thecircusdoc @michelefrances @reverenddoctor_greg, also Carol Bailey, Tracy Wagner and Traci Hurley. If you know anyone that participated in the study please thank them for giving their time to help further our understanding of injuries in circus! I'm so grateful to these artists for supporting this project and sticking with it for a year! #circusinjuryresearch #circusresearch #circademic #circus #performingartsresearch #gratitude #epidemiology #circuscommunity