The Circus Doc Blog
Our Circus Doc Clinic
Yes, you heard it right, a clinic for Circus Artists!! We have been open in Seattle, WA (U.S.A.) for over 10 years and boy we have grown! - There are THREE of us who see patients there- All three of us are doctors of physical therapy- AND are currently performing (or...
Scap Wrap for Open Shoulders
Circus shoulders in the clinic As a circus physical therapist I work with folks a LOT on their shoulders to help them achieve the mobility and stability needed to balance on or hang from their hands. A novice circus practitioner might not have the strength needed to...
Are Injuries in Circus Normal?
What is common is not normal. Have you ever worked with anyone that trains a circus discipline, literally any kind of discipline from juggling to hand balancing, from teeterboard to trapeze? If so, you have probably seen someone with an injury or nagging condition or,...
Cylinder of Support: The Look and Feel of Circus Strong
What does it mean to “engage your core,” “pull your belly in” or even “hollow body”? We often assume we know what these shorthand phrases mean to our patients/students/instructors, but what do we really want? What are we asking the muscles to do? What are we trying to...
Breath, Movement, and Strength in the New Year
On my last day in the clinic in 2020 I was working with a contortionist and we got to talking about breath and how we can use it to support our movement. The concept of breathing out to get through a difficult moment seems appropriate for reflecting on 2020. So as we...
Safely Returning to Circus and Aerial Training Part 2
Part 2 Strategies How to return to your circus self Congratulations! You did it! You made it through quarantine, and you have been cleared to get back into the studio. But, where to start? We've talked about why it is important to avoid over-training after being...
Circus and Aerial Training After COVID-19 Quarantine Part 1
Part 1 Considerations Who was your pandemic circus self? Many of us found that our love for circus training had to change during the pandemic, and we became different versions of our circus-selves. Are you the aerialist who turned to hand balancing? The wire walker...
Using Your Rotator Cuff for Stable Strong Shoulders
Get more out of your shoulders by keeping your rotator cuff activated when you train. Everyone wants strong rotator cuff muscles, but do we all understand WHY? Applied Anatomy of Aerial Arts Your rotator cuff is a group of muscles that stabilize your shoulder joint....
Conquer Your Micro-Bend – Strength and Control
Do you have plenty of flexibility, but still have a micro-bend in your leg? What’s going on and what can you do?!? As always, I like to start with the basics. Let’s look at the anatomy to understand how we lift our legs and why it can be so darn hard to lift them...
Conquer Your Micro Bend – Is it Mobility?
The Secret to Conquering your Micro-bend So, you can point your toes and straighten your legs, but when you start to lift them up… the dreaded micro-bend occurs. WHY?!? No matter how hard you are thinking about it and how much of your focus is on it if you still can’t...