During my Sports Medicine MSc at UCL we covered a variety of sports and exercise activities and their related injuries. This week, I was introduced to something new: aerialism. Whilst I have seen these acts performing in the background to a main event, it is only now, having researched the art, that I am beginning to understand the strength, skill and danger involved in this type of performance.
What is aerialism?
Aerialism is a form of acrobatics performed in the air, with the use of suspended apparatus including a trapeze, rope, aerial silk and aerial hoop. Although the art form has been around for some 4000 years, its recent emergence is down to acts such as Cirque du Soleil bringing the performance to the masses. Performances and music are often orchestrated specifically for the dramatisation of an aerialist act, and pop acts often use aerial performers to enhance their own shows.
Aerialism is not just a performance art, it is also an excellent way of keeping healthy. Benefits include promotion of perception, proprioception, coordination and physical fitness that come about through training.
What can go wrong
Those at the top end of this art are performing at anything between 25 and 50 feet in the air, on a smooth, shiny piece of silk, with no safety net below. All that is between a nasty injury (or worse) is the performer's own limits of physical strength and skill. Some get lucky, falling 25 feet and escaping with only a few broken bones. Others may not be so lucky.
Where osteopathy fits in
Osteopathy can help with the treatment of injury, prevention of re-injury and rehabilitation. A female aerialist in her early 20s presented with low back pain following a fall from a trapeze at 25 feet during training. This fall was triggered by a pain in the forearm, affecting the grip to her little finger. She landed on a crash mat and was able to walk away from the incident, leaving her with low back, hip and pelvis pain, as well as forearm and upper limb nerve pain.
The problem with gripping and the forearm pain may be indicative of nerve irritation, stemming anywhere between the neck, shoulder and the elbow. Nerve entrapment or irritation can affect muscle strength and hence grip, which ultimately led to the fall. Release of this nerve irritation can be achieved by relaxing and realigning the muscle or joint affecting the nerve. Techniques include deep tissue massage, joint mobilisation and manipulation, depending on the cause of the pain.