Injury Frequency and Characteristics in Adolescent and Adult Circus Artists: A Pilot Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite growing participation in circus arts, little is known about associated injuries. Understanding injury patterns is critical for developing interventions to decrease injury risk and guiding rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this pilot prospective cohort study was to describe injury frequency and characteristics in adolescent and adult circus artists using a surveillance method derived from dance. METHODS: Participants included 14 adolescent [mean age 14.7 yrs (1.3); 100% female] and 10 adult circus artists [mean age 30.7 yrs (3.1); 60% female]. Circus training exposure (single session of one circus discipline) and injuries were tracked for 1 year using a dance-derived injury surveillance guideline. A regression analysis was run using total session exposures, age (in years), and years of circus experience as predictor variables for injury rate. RESULTS: Twenty-one of 24 participants completed the study. Forty-seven injuries were reported (53.2% time loss; 46.8% non-time loss). Joint injuries were most common for both groups. The injury rate per 1,000 exposures was 3 (95%CI 0.6–8.7) for adolescents and 13 (95%CI 6.9–22.01) for adults. The overall regression was significant (F(3,13)=6.66, p=0.006). The only significant predictor was age (beta=0.82, p=0.003). Total session exposures and years of circus experience had betas close to 0 (–0.11 and –0.04, respectively). CONCLUSION: This pilot study comparing injuries in adolescent and adult circus artists found age but not exposure was predictive of injury risk. Use of a standardized injury surveillance guideline in circus, similar to the one used in this study, will provide greater insight into injury patterns by allowing between-study comparison.

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

“…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 7. Two studies4 12 reported higher proportions of injuries for ground acrobatics, but the exposure was also higher for these disciplines, which may have accounted for the difference. In contrast, one study showed similar 1-year injury prevalence in aerialists and non-aerialists (73% vs 81%) 6.…”

Circus-specific extension of the International Olympic Committee 2020 consensus statement: methods for recording and reporting of epidemiological data on injury and illness in sport

“…Therefore, calculating the time spent on each discipline within the class becomes cumbersome and prone to error. 40 Depending on the size and objectives of the study, exposure might be recorded by a single discipline or discipline subgroup ( table 6 ). Artist exposures are counted as individual sessions that may (1) be separated in time (eg, between classes or rehearsals on the same day); (2) include a separate warm-up; or (3) be a different discipline (eg, a single independent training practice that included silks and trapeze would be coded as two sessions, one of each discipline) and/or a different exposure type.…”

“…Due to the complexity of the circus arts, we recommend, in addition to hours, also recording exposure as the number of sessions for each exposure type (eg, class, independent training, physical conditioning, rehearsal or performance; table 5) by specific circus discipline 32 40. We recommend recording disciplines by session since, in circus arts, it is common to train multiple disciplines within the same session.…”

“…We recommend recording disciplines by session since, in circus arts, it is common to train multiple disciplines within the same session. Therefore, calculating the time spent on each discipline within the class becomes cumbersome and prone to error 40. Depending on the size and objectives of the study, exposure might be recorded by a single discipline or discipline subgroup (table 6).…”

Maximal dynamic forces exerted by acrobats on nine circus apparatuses

“…Circus injury patterns and rates have been investigated among professional artists, [3][4][5][6] student artists [7][8][9] and adolescents. 10 Several longitudinal studies focused on the Cirque du Soleil company, 4 National Institute of Circus Arts in Australia, 7 National Center for Circus Arts in France 8 and the Montréal Circus School. 9 Although definitions of injury are inconsistent, equipment is mentioned as an external factor of injury.…”