Performing Arts Medicine in Clinical Practice

191 Pages·2016·4.38 MB·English

by  Howard A. Bird (auth.)

Howard A. Bird
Performing Arts
Medicine in
Clinical Practice
123
Performing Arts Medicine
in Clinical Practice

Howard A . Bird
Performing Arts
Medicine in Clinical
Practice
Howard A. Bird
University College London
London
UK
ISBN 978-3-319-12426-1 ISBN 978-3-319-12427-8 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-12427-8
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015955266
Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London
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Pref ace
Although written at the suggestion of the publisher, this
book, which is designed to fill a specific need, is timely on
several counts.
Performing Arts Medicine is a new but expanding speciality,
which offers great challenges to the clinician and therapist in
the service of the performer. It is closely related to Sports
Medicine, and derives much from this discipline, established
in the service of the athlete though perhaps also their finan-
cial sponsors. However, if the rules of the various sports are
relatively rigid and the bodily requirements for the athletes
and their injuries therefore broadly predictable, the art of the
composer or choreographer is more flexible with fewer
restrictions. Few would doubt that dancers were athletes. That
professional musicians need to display equal athleticism,
especially of the upper limb, is less generally recognized. This
is before any consideration is given to the artistic tempera-
ment that often pushes the body to its limits.
T he requirements for dance medicine differ somewhat
from those for instrumental medicine (though not as much as
might be thought) and the management of singers and even
actors forms a third area of the speciality.
Practitioners inevitably come from many different back-
grounds and are often performers themselves. Amongst the
physicians, rheumatology and musculoskeletal medicine are
important across all three areas, as is the need for help from
orthopaedic surgeons. Singers and actors also fall into the
province of the laryngologists. A sympathetic general practi-
tioner is always invaluable. Physiotherapists, osteopaths and
v
vi Preface
chiropracters all play an obvious important role though the
importance of psychologists, dietitians and pharmacists is
sometimes forgotten.
It is hoped this book will appeal to all of these disciplines,
perhaps even providing simple didactic advice for others who
feel insecure in this complicated niche area of medicine.
T here has also been increasing interest in health from per-
formers themselves. Dance Science, largely evolved from
Sports Science, is now established at many Universities and
Conservatoires in the United Kingdom. Musical Performance
Science, much influenced by Dance Science, is still in its
infancy but likely to expand quickly. All this has led to an
increasing body awareness in the performers themselves,
both in respect of anatomy and physiology, and it is hoped
that they, as well as their teachers, will also find much in this
book that is of interest.
A few enlightened organisations have attempted to nur-
ture the speciality. In the United Kingdom, the efforts of the
British Association for Performing Arts Medicine and Dance
UK with their Healthier Dancer programme deserve particu-
lar mention. Although some medical schools have attempted
to provide tuition, mainly through the components of the
curriculum that the students select themselves, there is a need
for broader post-graduate education in the field.
This has led to the recent establishment of an MSc degree
in Performing Arts Medicine at University College, London,
with the assistance of BAPAM and with the collaboration of
the two partner institutions, the Royal College of Music and
Trinity-Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. The author
acts as a module leader on this degree course, and some of
the contents of this book are derived from that syllabus.
The author, who has followed a career in Rheumatology at
the University of Leeds, has had a life time interest in the
medical problems of performers, and a recent Visiting
Professorship at University College, London, in conjunction
with their MSc course, has acted as a catalyst to write this book.
It does not aim to be a textbook or even fully comprehensive
but explores areas of the speciality, mainly musculo-s keletal
Preface vii
and sometimes controversial, that are of particular interest to
the author and that illustrate principles in the management of
this unique and sometimes demanding group of patient-per-
formers. It attempts to provide a personal opinion alongside the
established comprehensive textbooks. From the electronic ver-
sion, individual chapters can be purchased separately so that
those with interests only in one area of the speciality do not
have to purchase the whole book.
The subject matter of the chapters is a personal selection
and these are mixed with illustrative case histories, collected
over some 30 years of clinical practice. It may not escape the
attention of the reader that the author is also an amateur
pianist.
I have tried to write in simple style so that all readers
might find things of interest. The book is designed as a practi-
cal guide, without extensive references, though these are
provided for some of the chapters. A reading list is also pro-
vided at the end for those wishing to take their knowledge to
a more advanced level.
Any mistakes are entirely my own.
London, UK Howard A. Bird

Acknowledgements
Thanks are due:
To Suki Tyler, a clinical scientist and herself an ex-
professional ballet dancer, for writing the majority of Chap. 3 .
To Sofia Ornellas Pinto for help with Chap. 1 0 .
T o all patients who have offered themselves as case stud-
ies, or as clinical examples in the various chapters throughout
this book, some of whom have also provided a commentary
from the patient’s viewpoint.
T o Julia Megginson, Senior Editorial Assistant, and Melissa
Morton, Commissioning Editor, and to all others who have
helped at Springer, the publishers.
Finally, to my family for their tolerance.
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