Category: Performing Arts Medicine
Injury prevention and the overall health of performing artists
On Gender and Musical Instruments
I saw this article from The Guardian yesterday on female percussionists, or the lack thereof. I guess it’s a good one to look at for Women’s Month (International Women’s Day was March 8). Out of curiosity – as I do with a lot of questions that suddenly pop into my head – I decided to […]
Face-to-Face Dance Classes during COVID-19 Pandemic
I co-authored a “how-to” guide for #COVID19 safe practices in the dance studio. Happy to see our journal article published but #vaccine and normalcy can’t come soon enough. Dr. Filomar Tariao and I were classmates in medical school (from the INTARMED program). We both ended up in arts-related careers… him being more in the arts […]
Under-appreciated and Underwater, Plus Muppets
The 1981 movie The Great Muppet Caper has a clipped dubbed “Miss Piggy’s Fantasy” in which she takes part in some synchronized swimming (also known as artistic swimming – because solo events don’t really need you to be “synchronized” with anyone else, but then you synchronize with the music… I digress). A somewhat random thing […]
Handel’s Messiah for Our Time (the COVID-19 Edition)
The Handel and Haydn Society of Boston, Massachusetts presented an annual Handel’s Messiah concert for the holidays last December 20, 2020; they have done so since 1854. Like so many performances in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, it pivoted (and overall quite successfully) to an online format this year. From a Performing Arts Medicine […]
Unique Issues in Performing Artists: Part 2
In the previous blog post, I wrote about unique issues surrounding performing artists and the reluctance to seek medical help. Part 2 will tackle issues that are specific to each discipline: dance, music, and vocal arts. Dancers are a special crowd. They have good kinesthetic sense – the sense of movement and knowing where their […]
Sport Athlete or Performing Artist? Shared Issues in Sports and the Arts
I’ve mentioned previously that some of my Rehabilitation Medicine (Physiatry) colleagues have additional training in Sports Medicine. While it is logical that there’s overlap between the two (for example: figure skaters can fall under both fields), there are similarities and differences between the athlete and the artist. The Athletes and the Arts initiative was borne […]
Unique Issues in Performing Artists: Part 1
In a previous blog post, I wrote about the health issues shared by sport athletes and performing artists. Hat tip to the Athletes and the Arts initiative for promoting these health issues. Despite all the similarities, the worlds in which athletes and artists move in are not the same at all. Their mindsets, training and […]
Who Practices Performing Arts Medicine?
Performing Arts Medicine (PAM) was my gateway to Rehabilitation Medicine (Physiatry). I wanted to know how to best address the musculoskeletal issues of performing artists, and found PAM sometime in medical school. Rehabilitation Medicine (Physiatry) does not have a monopoly on PAM, but as a specialty it fits PAM very well. We physiatrists focus on […]
A Deeper Dive into PAM
We’ll start off with what it is not: PAM is not: it is not the use of music/dance/art as a means of doing therapy. Music therapists have their own expertise, as do dance therapists, art therapists and therapeutic recreation (or recreational therapy) specialists. Performing Arts Medicine (PAM) is the branch of medicine addressing the overall […]
How I Got Here: Choosing a Medical Specialty
The Personal Statement is part of the residency application packet for specialty training in the USA. It complements the curriculum vitae detailing the applicant’s education and previous experience, and the recommendation letters from faculty members or other people that have worked with the applicant. My Personal Statement began with “I was the Orthopedic Disaster of […]
