Movement Analysis and Treatment of Aerial Artists: The Hanging Athlete

Oct 7, 2018 | 9 am - 6 pm (with lunch break) | Warrior Bridge 250 Front Street South Street Seaport New York, NY 10038

In this continuing education course for healthcare professionals, we will look at the bio-mechanics of the shoulder related to this unique population of athletes through a movement system 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.

(NY CEU Credits Pending)

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 gain an understanding of how hanging athletes/ aerialists invert, pull up, and skin the cat to be able to observe these movements with a knowledgeable eye to recognize when they might be at risk for injury.

Course Outline

Circus Artist as an Athlete and a Patient

• 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

• Overview of injury rates in current literature and experience
• Biomechanical and Psychosocial factors

Equipment and Vocabulary

• Observing at a circus school
• Familiarization with equipment and skill names and performance Shoulder Biomechanics
• Anatomy and biomechanics of the shoulder girdle and trunk with overhead movements and grips related to circus aerial performance

Aerial Skills Breakdown

• Hanging, Climbing, Inversion variations, Skin the Cat, Front Balance
• 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

• Sample Evaluation
• Exercises, cues, and patient education for correction of common movement impairments in aerial circus artists

Registration Closed