Available Courses

Circus Fusion Medicine (21hrs live online)

A continuing education course for you AND the patients you are most passionate about.  This course is for clinicians (and those about to be and ambitious instructors) to gain the confidence you need to help circus artists get back to what they love and build a niche practice that makes you excited to go to work. 

Approved for 21 hours by the NY Physical Therapy Association / (contact me if you have questions about CE credit in your state)

Now is the time to apply for the upcoming 2024 session! Spring through Summer!

Click here to apply –> https://circusanatomy.com/p/waitlist-circus-fusion-24

Over four months, we will be breaking down what makes circus artists different. We’ll touch on everything from how they approach their training and their body, how (and when) they present with injuries, what the most common injuries are, how to assess their circus skills, and how to get them back to training.

This is the course I wish I had when I was starting out. To try to fill the void I took courses about dancers, about cross-fitters, and heck even about pitchers to try to understand the challenges circus artists face, but the big thing that I learned is that circus artists are different.

Movement Analysis and Treatment of Circus Shoulders: Working With Aerial Athletes (8 hours)

This course is for all healthcare professionals who would like to know more about working with aerial artists.

Physical Therapy CE Credit Available (other continuing education credit may be available. Please enquire) PT, OT, MD, DO, NP, ND, DC, ATC all welcome

In this continuing education course for healthcare professionals, we will look at the biomechanics of the shoulder related to this unique population of athletes through a Movement Systems perspective. During the course we will review and analyze common movements that circus performers perform from hanging and handstands to pull ups, inversions, and skin the cats. With each we will learn to recognize compensatory patterns and risks for injury. You will learn how to enhance your connection to these patients through knowledge of basic vocabulary and observing circus artists in action.

Course Objectives

1. Participants will understand the circus artist as an athlete and how to engage and enhance credibility with this population.
2. Participants will understand the biomechanics of the shoulder when it is moving into an overhead position and with hanging.
3. Participants will learn common patterns of posture, movement, and injury in hanging athletes/aerialists.
4. Participants will be able to recognize movement dysfunctions of the scapula and humerus in a hanging athlete/ aerialist.
5. Participants will observe circus aerialists and learn about equipment, names of common skills, and learn to speak some of the language of a circus artist.
6. Participants will learn corrective exercises for common movement pattern dysfunctions in aerialists and how to cue them for patient success.

Course Outline 

Circus Artist as an Athlete and a Patient (9 – 9:30 am)

• History and growth of circus in the US
• Demographics of participants—Enhancing credibility
• Taking a history from a circus performer

Common Injuries and Contributing Factors (9:30 – 10 am)

• Overview of injury epidemiology in current literature and clinical experience
• Hypermobility and the circus artist

Anatomy and Biomechanics (10 am – 12 pm)

• Anatomy and biomechanics of the shoulder girdle with a review of normal shoulder biomechanics and alignment in standing and with shoulder flexion
• Hanging shoulder biomechanics in long hang, bent arm hanging and basket position
• Brief review of hip and trunk anatomy with relationship to basic aerial positions of hollow body, C-shape, and arched body.

LUNCH

Equipment and Vocabulary (1  – 2 pm)

• Observing at a circus school
• Familiarization with equipment and skills in practice

Aerial Skills Breakdown (2 – 4 pm)

• Grips used in aerial arts
• Hanging, Climbing, Front Balance, Inversion variations, Skin the Cat
• Recognition of common movement dysfunctions with these aerial skills and how they relate to shoulder biomechanics and movement impairments or compensations

Treatment for Common Aerial Movement Dysfunctions (4 – 6 pm)

• Sample Evaluation demonstration
• Exercises, cues, and patient education for correction of common movement impairments in aerial circus artists
• Practice applying exercises and cuing in lab

Cancellation Policy: Refunds are available up to 1 month prior to the course. After that time, enrollments are transferable. Please contact emily@thecircusdoc.com with any changes.

Learning the Ropes: An introduction to caring for Circus Artists for all Healthcare Providers (1.5hr – can work as a live studio booking, live online AND exists as self paced online course!)

Circus arts has been growing exponentially in the last decade. These new athletes and artists will walk into your space with their own unique perspective. 

Learn simple ways that you can make this community feel comfortable and trust you with their care. 

Speaking the language of these artists and understanding their needs can help you stand out and excel in their care. 

Click here to enroll in the self guided online course → ​​https://circusanatomy.com/p/learning-the-ropes

Through an hour long lecture and Q&A you will learn about:

• Common ways circus artists are injured
• Challenges these artists face in seeking care
• Highlights of what makes this population special
• How you can expand your practice to include circus artists

AND

• Why NOW is the perfect time to get involved in this amazing community

Hanging Analysis of the Shoulder

Hanging may sound like a simple building block of movement but holding an artist’s full body weight at end range of motion is a challenge for any shoulder.

Through lecture, practical examples, and guided case studies you will:

• Learn how strong supported shoulder alignment helps an artist improve their performance and achieve their goals
• Identify good hanging form and know why it is important
• Recognize common errors and learn how they relate to the rest of your assessment
• Have a tool you can implement immediately to support the next artist/athlete you see

AND

• Be the resource in your community that all the aerialists are talking about

Prerequisites: Solid background in shoulder anatomy and a desire to work with circus artists

Understanding the Shoulder in Hanging & in Handstand (2hrs)

Coming in 2024!

Prehab and Rehab for Circus Shoulders – Getting artists back to Flipping & Flying (4hrs – CE credit available)

Coming in 2024!

Hips and Splits for Clinicians (3hrs)

Coming in 2024!

Find one near you