Specialized Care for Dancers, Performers, and Creative Movers
Dancers and artistic athletes place exceptional demands on their bodies. High repetition, extreme ranges of motion, precision, and performance pressures means that even small imbalances can lead to pain, injury, or limitations in performance. Our specialized Dance & Artistic Athlete Physiotherapy service provides targeted assessment, treatment, and performance optimization designed specifically for performers. Whether you’re a ballet dancer, modern dancer, competitive cheerleader, figure skater, circus artist, or musical theatre performer, our physiotherapist understands the unique biomechanics and artistry behind your movement.
What is Dance & Artistic Athlete Physiotherapy?
Dance physiotherapy is a specialized branch of physiotherapy focused on the unique needs of dancers and performing artists. It blends orthopaedic physiotherapy, neuromuscular retraining, movement analysis, and performance science to:
- Prevent injuries Treat acute and chronic conditions
- Improve technique and efficiency
- Enhance performance
- Enhance strength, mobility and control
- Support safe training and return-to-performance
- Educate dancers on sustainable movement habits for body longevity
Our approach is both clinical and artistic. We respect the demands of your discipline while using evidence-based physiotherapy to help your body meet them.
Common Conditions We Treat
- Hip impingement
- Snapping hip syndrome
- Hamstring strains
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Ankle sprains
- Posterior ankle impingement
- Lumbar stress injuries
- Postural control issues
- Shoulder instability
- Wrist impingement
- Scapular dyskinesis
- Turnout limitations
- Pointe-readiness concerns
- Hypermobility
- Pelvic floor dysfunction and incontinence
- And more!
What to Expect in Your Assessment
Your physiotherapist will complete a dance/sport-specific movement evaluation, which may include:
- Full orthopaedic assessment
- Technique analysis (ie., turnout, alignment, jumps, etc.)
- Strength and control testing specific to your sporting demands
- Flexibility tests Balance and landing mechanics
- Foot/ankle assessment for pointe readiness or pointe-related pain (if requested)
- Load and training volume review
Courtney is the dance physiotherapist at Sport Medicine Physiotherapy!
Her qualifications are listed below:
- Bachelor of Kinesiology & Physical Education
- Master of Science in Physical Therapy
- Assessing and Treating Dancers and Artistic Athletes
- An Intro to Clinical Taping Skills in Dance Specific Adaptations
- Level 1: The Physical Therapy Approach to Female and Male Urinary Incontinence and Prolapse
- Level 1: Advanced Integrated Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Program
- Graded Exposure – Prepare the Path for Return to Athletic Performance
- Performer’s Pelvis: An Introduction to Pelvic Floor Concerns in Dancers and Artistic Athletes
- Beyond Kegels – Elevating Pelvic Health with Functional Exercises
