Participants who register for this course have the option to attend the course live and/or watch the recorded sessions later. The recording will be available to all registrants for a 2-week period after the course/each session. This allows participants who may not be able to attend the live sessions to still benefit from the course content.
To facilitate attendance tracking, please indicate on your registration form if you won't be attending live.
Course Description
Dancers and other artistic athletes, including circus artists, gymnasts, and figure skaters, have unique demands that include repetitive loading in extreme ranges of motion, intense training and performing schedules, and a requirement for artistic/emotional expression and exploration. They also experience pelvic floor issues such as incontinence at similar rates to other high-level athletes, regardless of pregnancy history.
The purpose of this course is to help pelvic health practitioners address dancers and related artistic athletes and their pelvic health concerns in a comprehensive manner specific to their unique training, movement, and performance demands.
This course will introduce common movement demands, including repetitive impact loading and range of motion requirements, along with typical non-optimal training and movement habits of performers that impact pelvic floor function—as well as how to address them. You will also be introduced to common overall health issues in dancers and other artistic athletes, including hypermobility, nutrient deficiencies/RED-S, inadequate general preparation for sport demands, and psychosocial factors that impact their pelvic health and wellness. You will leave with example exercises and cues that can be implemented to address the specific needs of dancers and related artistic athletes.
This comprehensive course will help you in optimally addressing dancers and related artistic athletes according to their unique needs, using an approach that considers the whole kinetic chain as well as holistic and multidisciplinary considerations. This course is appropriate for pelvic health practitioners who want to expand their skillset in treating dancers and other performing athletes.
Course Objectives:
- Participants will understand the training philosophies and trends for dancers and related artistic athletes that are unique compared to other sports, and how these can impact pelvic health.
- Participants will understand the range of motion and impact demands of dancers and related artistic athletes, and how to approach these demands in relation to their impact on the pelvic floor.
- Participants will be able to assess common breathing, pelvic floor, and intra-abdominal pressure management habits unique to performing arts training, and will be equipped to re-educate artistic athletes in more effective and efficient strategies.
- Participants will be able to identify signs and concerns related to hypermobility in artistic athletes and develop strategies for their management.
- Participants will be able to screen for common health issues in artistic athletes, such as RED-S and psychosocial concerns, that impact pelvic floor health, and know what to do when these concerns are present.
- Participants will learn example exercises and cues from across the kinetic chain to improve overall movement strategies in artistic athletes and offload the pelvic floor.
Audience: This course is appropriate for pelvic health practitioners who want to expand their skill set in treating dancers and other performing athletes.
Prerequisites: A basic understanding of management of pelvic floor dysfunction is recommended.
Registration Form
Schedule
Date/Time: May 29, 2024, from 5:00pm-9:00pm ET (Toronto). Please convert to your local time zone.
Delivery Format
Live attendance is not mandatory for this online course. Enjoy a 2-week window to access and review the course recording, which is sent out on the next business day. We understand that life can be busy, which is why we offer you the freedom to access the course recording(s) during the time-limited viewing period.
Instructor
Brooke Winder
Brooke Winder is a Southern California-based physical therapist specializing in orthopedic and pelvic floor health for dancers, artistic athletes, weekend warriors, and fitness instructors. She owns Renew Motion Physical Therapy Inc. in Orange, CA, and also serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Dance at California State University, Long Beach, where she Coordinates the Bachelor’s degree program in Dance Science and teaches courses in functional anatomy, injury risk reduction, wellness, and Pilates. Brooke provides backstage care for touring professional dance companies, physical therapy services for summer dance intensives, and community workshops to dancers and dance educators. She is particularly passionate about performing research on pelvic floor issues such as incontinence, prolapse, and pelvic pain in dancers, and empowering dancers and healthcare practitioners to know how to address these symptoms. Having spent many years as a dancer and a former competitive gymnast, Brooke has a deep understanding of the unique demands and capabilities of artistic athletes. She also serves as an expert for Pivot Dancer, a knowledge-sharing platform that provides improved evidence-based content to the dance community. She regularly provides evidence-based lectures, courses, and workshops for the healthcare community focused on the management of pelvic floor dysfunction in artistic athletes.
Brooke has been published in The Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, Clinical Biomechanics, and Orthopedic Physical Therapy Practice magazine. She has presented her research on pelvic floor health and dysfunction in dancers at venues such as the American Physical Therapy Association Annual Combined Sections Meeting, the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science Annual Conference, and the Performing Arts Medicine Association International Symposium. Brooke earned a Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2010 and graduated from USC’s Orthopedic Residency Program in 2011. She is a Board-Certified Specialist in Orthopedic Physical Therapy, a Certified Pilates instructor through Body Arts and Science International, and a former professional dancer with Southern California-based Backhausdance. She is trained in management of pelvic floor dysfunction through Herman & Wallace Pelvic Rehabilitation Institute as well as a multitude of continuing courses and specific mentorship over the years from pelvic floor experts. Brooke is a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, Performing Arts Medicine Association, and serves in leadership in the Performing Arts Special Interest Group of the Academy of Orthopedic Physical Therapy in the American Physical Therapy Association.