Injury Frequency and Characteristics in Adolescent and Adult Circus Artists: A Pilot Prospective Cohort Study

Despite growing participation in circus arts, little is known about associated injuries. Understanding injury patterns is critical for developing interventions to decrease injury risk and guiding rehabilitation.

The purpose of this pilot prospective cohort study was to describe injury frequency and characteristics in adolescent and adult circus artists using a surveillance method derived from dance.

Participants included 14 adolescent [mean age 14.7 yrs (1.3); 100% female] and 10 adult circus artists [mean age 30.7 yrs (3.1); 60% female]. Circus training exposure (single session of one circus discipline) and injuries were tracked for 1 year using a dance-derived injury surveillance guideline. A regression analysis was run using total session exposures, age (in years), and years of circus experience as predictor variables for injury rate.

Twenty-one of 24 participants completed the study. Forty-seven injuries were reported (53.2% time loss; 46.8% non-time loss). Joint injuries were most common for both groups. The injury rate per 1,000 exposures was 3 (95%CI 0.6-8.7) for adolescents and 13 (95%CI 6.9-22.01) for adults. The overall regression was significant (F(3,13)=6.66, p=0.006). The only significant predictor was age (beta=0.82, p=0.003). Total session exposures and years of circus experience had betas close to 0 (-0.11 and -0.04, respectively).

This pilot study comparing injuries in adolescent and adult circus artists found age but not exposure was predictive of injury risk. Use of a standardized injury surveillance guideline in circus, similar to the one used in this study, will provide greater insight into injury patterns by allowing between-study comparison.