TRIA’s new Performing Arts Medicine program raises the bar for high-flying athletes

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — With the launch of its new sports medicine program tailored to the needs of performing artists, TRIA hopes to address gaps in care common among circus performers, gymnasts, dancers, figure skaters and other performing artists.

“Often these groups were pushed aside,” explains Jaci Ryan, a physical therapist at TRIA. “They were something else. You’re just a dancer or just a gymnast. You’re not an athlete. And that’s not true.”

Over the past seven years, TRIA has partnered with Circus Juventas, a nonprofit performing arts school in St. Paul, to provide on-site care to circus performers. The care team’s work with these young performers provided the blueprint for the Performing Arts Medicine program.

“There are different circumstances these athletes face to get back to their sport after an injury,” says Ashley TeKippe, MD, a sports medicine and emergency medicine physician at TRIA. “They have specific injuries. They have different stress levels. As athletes, they are unique.”

The five-person Performing Arts Medicine team includes a physician, two physical therapists and two athletic trainers who work together to provide patients with multidisciplinary care. The group has spent years building relationships with performers as well as their families and coaches.

“We’ve gotten to know these athletes in their environment,” Dr. TeKippe says. “Building trust with these athletes is critical. They need to know that we’re really there for them.”

The TRIA Performing Arts Medicine team has more than two decades of experience caring for performing artists, and several care team members have their own experience in dance and gymnastics.

“We’re trying to show all performing artists that they are athletes, and they have a place in sports medicine,” Ryan says.

Learn more about TRIA Performing Arts Medicine at tria.com/performingarts.