PHYSIOTHERAPY AND THE ARTISTIC ATHLETE
Artistic athletes, such as dancers, gymnasts, circus performers, cheerleaders, and figure skaters all have incredibly high physical demands placed on their body when it comes to impact and load, often in extreme ranges of motion. This can leave them vulnerable to injury, especially in the lower back and hips, which 54-59% of dancers have reported a history of in recent literature. Our pelvic floor musculature is the connecting" sling" between the two hips and the bottom portion of our deep core system. It plays an integral role in the artistic athlete's ability to remain stable, pain free and in control of their joints, bowel and bladder through the high physical demands placed on their body.
Dancers and gymnasts are brilliant movers with incredible strength and coordination; however, these sports have the youngest age of specialization, and highest rate of overuse injuries. Young specialization, and high rates of overuse injuries along with other factors such as high instances of hyper mobility, large loads with repetitive impact, high intra-abdominal pressure demands, constipation, decreased foot flexibility and low energy availability (RED-S), increase the risk of pelvic floor dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Recent studies have shown 31.8-47.6% of artistic athletes struggle with this from as young as 14 years old! Surprising, right!? The good news is, a pelvic floor trained physiotherapist can assess each one of these risk factors, and provide a tailored program for your individual concerns, and help to reach your specific goals!
If you are an artistic athlete, never hesitate to reach out to our team with your pelvic health concerns, or for your own in-depth assessment to see how your pelvic health and control checks out!
Winder, B. (2023, March 12). Treating the Artistic Athlete: Optimizing Pelvic Health in Dancers and Related Performing Artists [PowerPoint Slides].
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