The Performing Artist Program at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center is a team of specialists dedicated to treating youth, adolescent, and young adult performing artists of all levels and abilities. Specific performing arts we specialize in include:
Dance
Gymnastics
Cheerleading
Figure Skating
Music
Performing artists devote significant time and effort to their practice and injuries can set them back both physically and emotionally. We use our experience managing performing arts-related injuries to educate these artists how to avoid injury and stay healthy. To do this, the team at Children’s Sports Physical Therapy offers programs and services that focus on assessing the risk of injury and beginning treatment at the earliest and most treatable stages.
Why Children’s Hospital for Performing Artist Injury?
Our sports physical therapy team includes specialists in upper extremity injuries common among musicians and lower extremity injuries common in dance, gymnastics, cheer, and figure skating. In addition to our rehabilitation services, our Sports Medicine team includes:
- Primary Care Sports Medicine Physicians
- Sports Medicine Ultrasound
- Hand and Upper Extremity Specialists
- Sports Psychology
- Injury Prevention
We have the resources and expertise to care for the athlete as a whole, including medical, psychosocial and physical needs related to an athlete’s well-being, injury, and performance.
Watch Ava’s Story: Driven in Her Return To Dance
Specific Performing Artist Services
The success of our injury prevention program has been demonstrated time and time again. Our experts have protected and lengthened the careers of talented performing artists of all levels; from Broadway and the Olympics to Regional and State competitions and performances, we have given these dancers, gymnasts, cheerleaders, skaters, and musicians—and the professionals who train and care for them—the confidence and ability to accomplish their greatest goals.
Additionally, we offer dance-specific programs as well.
Dance Injury Prevention Screen
The dance injury prevention screen is an evaluation that aims to reduce the dancer’s risk of injury. You will meet with a licensed physical therapist that observes your dance technique, evaluates your posture, strength, and flexibility, and reviews your medical history.
At the end of the assessment, you receive an individually designed program with recommendations for technique modification, training strategies, and footwear that can reduce the risk of injury. Please email us for more information or to schedule, [email protected]
Injury Prevention Workshops
Injury prevention workshops address various aspects of injury prevention, including:
- Strength Training for Dance
- Proper Warm-up
- Nutrition and Hydration
- Pointe Readiness
- Environmental Safety
- Raked or Non-Traditional Stage Safety
These offerings can be adjusted for all audiences, including dancers, choreographers, teachers, parents, company managers, and healthcare providers. Please email us for more information or to schedule, [email protected].
Pointe Readiness Program
Ballet dancers are usually ready to use the pointe technique at around 12 years of age. However, maturity and skill development can vary greatly. Our Pointe Readiness Program combines a series of dance-specific tests to provide objective data to parents and dance company leaders of a child’s readiness to safely begin pointe work. Please email us for more information or to schedule, [email protected].