Considerations for the Medical Management of the Circus Performance Artist and Acrobat

Abstract

Medical management of the circus performer encompasses a wide variety of multicultural, transdisciplinary and multifaceted decision-making considerations. There is a paucity of research evidence investigating both the unique diversity of skill sets and cultural considerations in addition to injury patterns of performers within the circus environment. Since a previously established framework for supporting the health and well-being of the circus performer across various aspects of medical management does not exist in the literature, most recommendations in this regard must come from practical experience working with this highly specialized performance athlete population. The purpose of this clinical commentary is to provide the reader with a greater understanding of the unique challenges associated with the medical management of performance artists and acrobats as well as recommendations for developing an integrated approach for mitigating injury risk within a highly specialized, diverse athlete population. Level of Evidence 5

Untangling risk factors including discipline-specific exposure for injuries in preprofessional and professional circus artists in the USA

“…Sessions had close to a 1:1 relationship to hours in the pilot study. 12 In large circus companies with resident shows, professionals may work 300 or more shows annually, 10 compared with our professionals, who averaged 23.86 performances annually by discipline (cohort 1=29.94). Further, professionalising schools and large companies, 2–5 7 had dedicated medical staff, and our training facilities did not, which may impact injury management.…”

“…Determining extrinsic risk for circus disciplines, including accounting for exposure and artists training multiple disciplines, is challenging [9][10][11][12] but important to inform injury prevention practices. We found higher injury rates attributed to aerial versus ground acrobatics, but rates varied across discipline subgroups.…”

“…Circus disciplines pose specific extrinsic factors regarding physical, technical and artistic demands, which likely impact injury risk, yet differences have not been explored. [9][10][11] Early research compared the anatomical location of injuries for floor acrobatics versus acrobatics with equipment, including aerial (trapeze) and ground (tight-wire and slackline) disciplines with inconsistent biomechanical demands. 3 A recent study found clinical injury burden (injury rate plotted against injury duration) was generally higher in ground acrobats, but the exposure was not considered.…”